Forest officer confesses 'irregularity', not graft
Godagari Upazila Forest Officer M Mozammel Haque yesterday confessed that he distributed 32,258 free saplings for afforestation under Bangladesh Climate Change Trust Fund without the local lawmaker's recommendation.
He arrived at the monthly development coordination meeting of Godagari Upazila Parishad and, with hands clasped, asked to be forgiven and promised not to indulge in such irregularities ever again, said the upazila Vice Chairman Zahidul Islam.
However, lawmaker Omar Faruk Chowdhury, at the monthly meeting on February 19, alleged that Bangladesh Forest Department (BFD) officials distributed only 21,742 seedlings out of 54,000 allocated for him.
The officials had gone to him ahead of the meeting to get the related documents, showing all the seedlings distributed, signed, Faruk told The Daily Star.
Under the “Seedling Raising for Massive Afforestation throughout the country to face adverse effect of climate change” project, an MP can distribute any amount between 40,000 and 54,000 seedlings.
But before that can be done, BFD, according to government rules, must have the local lawmaker's recommendation for distribution of any seedling.
Mozammel justified his actions in a letter he placed at the meeting, saying that “they were understaffed and hence could not attain the lawmaker's recommendation on time.”
“If the 32,258 saplings were not distributed within the rainy season, it would have hampered the government's activities,” he added.
He also promised to return the 32,258 saplings within six months if given the chance.
However, the meeting decided that his explanation was “not satisfactory”, said Dr Julia Moyeen, upazila nirbahi officer and the meeting's member secretary.
Lawmaker Faruk, present at the meeting, asked for punitive action to be taken against Mozammel as per government rules. “We will now write to the high ups of Bangladesh Forest Department to take necessary steps in this regard,” she said.
Faruk asked the government officials present at the meeting to remain careful while utilising the government's limited funds and ensure proper development of the neglected Barind region.
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