PGCL Scam: Buying car in own name with state fund

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A microbus purchased by Pashchimanchal Gas Company Limited (PGCL) has been found registered as a private vehicle to the company’s Manager (Service) Kazi Nowfel Anwar.

A preliminary investigation has also found an alleged suppression of an incident of fire over five years ago in which the microbus along with two other vehicles of PGCL was burnt inside the company garage on the PGCL head office premises at Nilka in Sirajganj.

It is also alleged that Nowfel gave a PGCL official a vehicle of the organisation for his personal use and kept fake logbook to hide the private use and purchase fuel for it.

The irregularities were informed to the PGCL authority after being discussed in a meeting of the PGCL Officers’ Welfare Association executive committee on February 19.

The minute of the meeting was also recently sent to Petrobangla, which asked the PGCL authority to investigate the allegations.

Nowfel Anwar claimed that the microbus was registered to him “mistakenly” and that the mistake was later corrected.

The PGCL authority, however, said the late project manager Azizul Haque Chowdhury sent an official letter to Bangladesh Road Transport Authority to register the vehicle in favour of the Gas Supply to West Zone Project.

An instalment of the vehicle’s insurance premium was paid at the time of registration.

When Nowfel asked PGCL to pay the second instalment of the premium, the company came to know about the “mistaken” registration and declined to pay the sum, saying the matter should be corrected first.

A few days later, a fire broke out in the company’s garage, burning the microbus, a motorcycle and a jeep.

Later, when the PGCL claimed insurance money the insurance company refused to pay it saying the vehicle was damaged under the security measures and in the garage of PGCL.

PGCL Managing Director Saiful Islam Chowdhury admitted that there are allegations that the matter of registration was suppressed. The probe committee has also been asked to find out the cause of the fire, he added.

Meanwhile, it is alleged that to suppress the incident Nowfel gave the then PGCL general manager Khandaker Nazmul Hauqe a vehicle of the organisation for the latter’s personal use in Dhaka. He also allegedly kept a fake logbook to hide the private use of the vehicle and purchase fuel worth Tk 6 lakh for it.

Sources said the column for name and designation of the user of the vehicle was not filled in properly in the logbook and names of places like Dhaka, Bogra, Sirajganj, Nolka and DOHS were mentioned instead.

Even after keeping such a fake logbook, the former PGCL general manager had to pay Tk 86,000 at the time of retirement to adjust the expenditures.

It is also alleged that there is no trace of huge crockery worth Tk 12 lakh of the PGCL guesthouse and Nowfel was in its charge.

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