Water project awaiting revision: Officials ‘not involved’, yet they travelled abroad
Three government officials toured abroad this month using funds from a water development board project in Cox's Bazar, although none of them was directly associated with the work.
The "experience sharing visit" took place at a time when the project expired its tenure and is currently awaiting approval for revisions in its deadline and costs.
Bangladesh Water Development Board (BWDB) took up the project four years ago to reconstruct a dyke spanning Ukhiya and Teknaf upazilas. The work was supposed to be over by June last year.
After the deadline could not be met, project officials sought additional time and a 349 percent raise in the costs, which were initially Tk 141 crore.
The planning ministry later formed a committee. Its members visited the project site and met the project officials on several occasions. Then on January 31, the Project Evaluation Committee of the ministry prepared a revision proposal, stating that the BWDB should keep the costs under Tk 415.88 crore. It also recommended an extension of one year, said project officials.
The revision proposal waits to be placed before the Executive Committee of the National Economic Council (Ecnec) for approval, they also said.
In such a situation, the water resources ministry issued an order on November 18 last year, saying Senior Secretary Kabir Bin Anwar of the ministry, his Personal Secretary SM Azharul Islam, and BWDB Superintendent Engineer for Sylhet Division Probir Kumar Goshwami would travel to the UK and the USA on an "experience sharing visit".
They flew sometime before February 5 and have already returned.
The secretary took his wife and son along. According to the order, the costs for the two's visit would be borne by the secretary.
Of the three officials, only Probir was associated with the project, project officials told The Daily Star a couple of days ago.
Probir was one of the supervisors when he was the executive engineer of BWDB in Cox's Bazar. He was promoted last month and posted in Sylhet, they said.
Contacted, Probir said, "It's true that the revision proposal is yet to get Ecnec approval, but the project evaluation committee [of the planning ministry] has already completed the evaluation. I was working in Cox's Bazar when the government order was issued. I was involved in all three phases of the project, including planning, design and execution."
Replying to a question, he said, "It's not like that I won't use the experience I gathered from the visit elsewhere."
Kabir Bin Anwar claimed he only visited the UK.
Talking over the phone last night, he said they went to Birmingham [City] University's water resources related department where they attended training sessions and classes, and visited labs to learn how to maintain water quality and build harbours.
"We also attended a programme at the Bangladesh high commission in the UK. There, we sought investments for the government's Delta Plan campaign," he said.
Asked about using the project funds for their visit, he said, "In government projects, funds are set aside for such tours for experience gathering."
When queried if they could use the funds of a project that is awaiting approval of its revision, he said, "It's an ongoing project, which has already been passed … Look into the matter properly,"
Contacted for his comment over phone, Kabir's PS SM Azharul Islam told these correspondents to meet him at his office on Sunday.
One of the project officials said sending three officials on the trip was nothing but a waste of public money. "What can a secretary, his PS, and a former executive engineer do for the project? Someone relevant should have been sent instead."
A planning ministry official, involved in the project evaluation, said, "Spending money from the funds of a project whose tenure has expired is against the financial disciplines."
State Minister for Planning Shamsul Alam said, "Rules vary from project to project. I need to go through the relevant papers before making any comments here."
THE PROJECT
The project, titled "Rehabilitation of Polders 67/A, 67, 67/B and 68 on the Naf river for strengthening security along the Bangladesh-Myanmar border in Ukhiya and Teknaf, was initiated in 2018.
On January 23 that year, an Ecnec meeting, chaired by Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, approved the project at an estimated cost of Tk 141.65 crore and set June 2020 as the deadline.
Later, the ministry extended the time till June last year, according to a gazette from the water resources ministry.
The gazette, signed by Md Siddiqur Rahman, senior assistant chief of planning division under the ministry, said the time was extended on the condition that the work must be completed within that deadline.
But it did not happen.
On May 25 last year, project officials proposed the planning ministry raise the costs to Tk 636.24 crore.
A member of a ministry team, which visited the project site, said there is a Pakistan-era dyke, which needs reconstruction.
"The dyke was widen with the project funds. Now some sluice gates need to be installed. They haven't spent the entire money," he said.
He also said the time and the costs should increase as project officials have to build additional structures for completing the work.
According to the project evaluation committee's recommendation, the project should include bituminous carpeting on the dam, more sluice gates, and acquiring 18 hectares of additional land.
Cox's Bazar BWDB Executive Engineer Tanjir Saif Ahmed said they would submit a proposal soon seeking a time extension till June next year.
He could not say anything about the progress in the project.
Probir Kumar Goshwami claimed that they had already completed constructing 35km of the dyke. Construction of the rest 16km saw nearly 60 percent progress, he claimed further.