Govt removes river commission boss

The tenure of National River Conservation Commission Chairman Dr Manjur Ahmed Chowdhury ended halfway as the government cancelled his appointment yesterday, less than a month after he said a female minister from Chandpur was lending support to the syndicate extracting sand from the Meghna river.

The public administration ministry in a gazette said the government cancelled his appointment "in public interest".

Manjur, who previously worked as a Scientific Officer at Bangladesh Atomic Energy Commission, was made the River Commission chairman in February last year for three years.

On the World Rivers Day on September 24, Manjur made headlines when he said river grabbers and sand lifting syndicates had political backing.

"The heinous gang swooped on the Meghna River ripping it apart to extract sand worth Tk 6,000 crore. They are trying to extract sand again. Hundreds of dredgers will be engaged here which will deal a blow to the river, its fish stock and environment. They are the reason we can't protect rivers. There are links between sand miners and a female minister from Chandpur," he told the event, without naming anyone.

Education Minister Dipu Moni, elected from Chandpur-3 constituency, is the only female minister in the current cabinet.

Dipu Moni could not be contacted yesterday, as she is abroad now. 

Talking to The Daily Star for a separate story just hours before his firing was made public, he said although he had one and a half more years of his contractual appointment, he would resign if he had to.

"I have my resignation letter ready," he said.

"She is a minister from Chandpur, and also a joint general secretary of the Awami League. She can do a lot of things," said Manjur, also chairman of Centre for Governance Studies, a think-tank.

"I have even received death threats, but I am not afraid or concerned.… But we (the River Commission) stand by our comments on the World Rivers Day that a female minister is involved in sand business," he told The Daily Star by phone. 

Asked about the cancellation of his appointment later in the evening, he said the government can end contractual appointments anytime.

"I don't have any reaction to the decision."

He also said he would not speculate whether there might be any influence of the female minister he referred to in the matter.

"Whatever time I served here, I served with integrity and honesty. I took efforts to do my best to protect rivers going above the influence of various quarters. I received cooperation from the Prime Minster, but the key obstacle I faced was from the administration and political leaders," he said.