Top officials gobble up Milk Vita

A parliamentary sub-committee unearthed massive corruption and irregularities in state-owned Bangladesh Milk Producers Co-operatives Union Ltd (Milk Vita) and suggested taking stern actions against its corrupt officials.
The three-member sub-committee headed by Awami League lawmaker Ashraf Ali Khan Khoshru at a meeting yesterday placed its probe report before the parliamentary standing committee on LGRD ministry.
Accepting the report, the parliamentary committee asked the ministry to send it to the Anti-Corruption Commission for taking necessary actions against the corrupt officials.
The parliamentary body gave three months' time to LGRD secretary to implement the sub-committee's recommendations to save Milk Vita.
Milk Vita has become a den of corruption over the years as its top officials have misappropriated crores of taka, Rahmat Ali, chairman of the committee, told The Daily Star after the meeting at the Jatiya Sangsad Bhaban.
Identifying a number of corruption and irregularities, the report says there are now 1031 acres of pasture land out of previous 5,000 acres at Baghabari ghat milk producing farm of Milk Vita. Land grabbers grabbed rest of the land.
It says a section of officials gave huge amounts of additional money to the contractors for personal benefits.
"Many unnecessary sub-committees were formed during 2000-2010 and the committees drew Tk 1.46 crore in the name of holding meetings," says the report.
It says no internal and external audit has been conducted in Milk Vita since 1993. Tk 1.40 crore has been misappropriated only from the FDR fund of Milk Vita, it adds.
The report says instead of buying necessary vehicles to carry the Milk Vita products, the top officials used to buy luxury cars for their use.
The marketing system of the union is very weak for which its product is hardly available in many places, it says.
Now the Milk Vita is working at 105 upazilas of 26 districts. About two lakh cooperative farmers are directly involved with the union and the number of direct beneficiaries is 10 lakh, sources said.