Irregularities by the land ministry in a housing project for its officials and distribution of plots violating cooperatives rules have caused a loss of Tk 81.3 lakh to the state, reveals an investigation by the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC).
The investigation also reveals that as a reward for carrying out the irregularities, 100 plots were given to former and incumbent government staffs, military officials, judges, and private company officials who are not members of the cooperatives.
The investigation found though there is no legal authority, the ministry permitted Multipurpose Cooperatives Ltd of its officials and employees to acquire abandoned and uncultivable Khas land measuring 18.66 acres in Narayanganj.
“The matters of the government land acquisition and non-member of the cooperatives obtaining plots have caused a loss of Tk 81.3 lakh in revenue to the government,” said ACC Director General (Admin) Col Hanif Iqbal during a routine press briefing at the ACC Headquarters.
He added the process to ask for an explanation from the ministry regarding the matter is underway.
The list of 100 non-members of the Cooperatives who got plots in violation of rules includes former and incumbent secretaries, additional secretaries, joint secretaries and deputy secretaries, wife of a deputy commissioner, district and sessions judge, joint district judge, military officials, officer-in-charge of police, municipality administrator, a Delta life insurance official, officials of different levels of Islamic foundation, officials from cooperative directorate, water development director, UNOs, and different level officials of Narayanganj district administration.
The ACC probe was carried out as part of the measures against institutional corruption.
IRREGULARITIES
The investigation found that different level officials of Narayanganj district administration had showed the price of major part of the land at a lower rate and the rest at a higher rate.
The 18.66-acre land includes 15.89 acres of abandoned land, 2.1 acres of uncultivable Khas land and .67 acres of private land.
The average price of the land was shown comparatively lower without collecting proper rates of sale and purchase from the sub-registry office concerned.
The price of the abandoned land was shown Tk 78.27 lakh lower, uncultivable land Tk 1.21 lakh lower, and privately owned land Tk 1.81 lakh lower than the original prices, causing the loss.
In many cases the category of the land was not mentioned in list which is mandatory according to laws.
The cooperatives got registered with Dhaka Zilla Cooperatives Office on September 27, 1999.
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