Ministers, advisers using project cars

Influential ministers, prime minister's advisers, and senior officials of different ministries and divisions, among others, have rampantly been using vehicles of different government projects despite having one allocated by their ministries or departments.
Around 100 such government officials are now using vehicles of different projects of Local Government Engineering Division (LGED), Roads and Highways Department and National Sports Council.
Of the vehicles, 77 are from LGED's various projects, according to government sources.
Although a few ministers and advisers, who used project vehicles, have returned those recently, after their resignation, many are yet to do so.
Deputy Leader of the House Syeda Sajeda Chowdhury, former civil aviation minister Faruk Khan, former state ministers Jahangir Kabir Nanak and AB Tajul Islam, and AL lawmaker Rahmat Ali have returned their vehicles in the last few days.
But, former adviser to the PM HT Imam, LGRD Minister Syed Ashraful Islam, Expatriate Welfare Minister Khandaker Mosharraf Hossain, and State Minister for Labour and Employment Munnujan Sufian, among others, are still using LGED project cars.
Many of these influential officials not only took the vehicles but also withdrew Tk 1 lakh from the projects for fuel and maintenance of each car, added the sources.
A good number of these people are contesting the next parliamentary polls with Awami League ticket and legally bound to give up all the government facilities they used to have.
On November 25, in his speech to the nation, Chief Election Commissioner Kazi Rakib Uddin Ahmed said that from the day the election schedule is announced those who were entitled to government facilities would not be able to enjoy the privileges anymore.
Asked why he took a project vehicle even after having a government provided car, Faruk Khan said he had taken a sport utility vehicle (SUV) from an LGED project, as his ministry-allocated car was not suitable for visiting districts outside Dhaka.
“I used the SUV for government job outside the capital, but I did not charge for any fuel or maintenance cost," he said, adding that he handed over the vehicle after his resignation as a minister.
Sources said ministers and senior officials put pressure on many officials to have unauthorised vehicles.
Recently, a deputy secretary of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) ministry had been made officer-on-special-duty (OSD), as he declined to provide former minister Mostafa Faruque Mohammad a vehicle from his ministry.
The incident had taken place a month before the minister resigned. The deputy secretary was advised not to provide the project car by ICT Secretary NI Khan since it contradicted with the rules, said sources.
LGED vehicles have also been allocated to eight officials of the Prime Minister's Office (PMO), including the PM's press secretary, assistant personal secretary, three special assistants and one adviser.
Contacted, PM's Adviser Ziauddin Ahmed Bablu said he had been allocated a government vehicle from the PMO transportation pool, as he is entitled to one car and other facilities as an adviser.
He however said he did not know from where the PMO transport pool collected the vehicle.
Talking to The Daily Star, Expatriate Welfare and Overseas Employment Minister Khandaker Mosharraf Hossain said he had been using government vehicle for the last five years.
"As a minister I deserve a car and from where the car is provided is the decision of the transport pool, not mine," he said.
Meanwhile, Gopalganj municipality mayor, Tungipara municipality mayor and Tungipara upazila chairman are too using vehicles of different projects apart from their government-allocated cars.
Tungipara Mayor Sardar Issial Hossain told The Daily Star that he was not using the car for his personal purpose; rather it was being used for the project.
Five officials of LGRD and education ministries as well as a dozen of officials of different ministries are also enjoying project vehicles.
Apart from this, LGED had allocated some 22 vehicles for deputy secretaries and senior assistant secretaries. Two members of Planning Commission are also using project cars. Even ex-wives of two LGED engineers have also been using project cars, according to sources.
Former communications secretary ASM Ali Kabir said crores of taka had been misappropriated in the name of using government vehicles, as the project vehicles are mostly misused.
He mentioned of a rule that says no official entitled to government vehicle can use more than one government-allocated car.
There should be a specific policy about using government vehicles, he observed.
Seeking anonymity, a senior official of the transport pool told The Daily Star that the pool provides vehicles to different ministries as per their demands.
“When we fail to meet the demands, we manage vehicles from different projects and give those to the ministries," he added.