Repair Works at Aila-hit Areas
JS body to probe corruption
A parliamentary sub-committee was formed yesterday to probe alleged anomalies and corruption in repairing works of damaged embankments and river protection in the Aila-hit areas.
The parliamentary standing committee on the water resources ministry at a meeting held at the Parliament Building Complex formed the three-member probe body after receiving allegations from different NGO's and individuals.
Headed by Fazlul Azim, an independent MP, the committee has been asked to submit its report before the main committee within one month.
“From different NGO's and individuals, we have received allegations of misappropriation of money and other irregularities in construction of embankments and river protection works. The committee therefore formed a probe committee to verify those,” said Abdur Razzaq, chief of the committee.
The former water resources minister told The Daily Star that hundreds of crores of take were involved with different development works, including repairing of damaged embankments in the Aila-hit areas.
“Over Tk 500 crore was allocated for river construction works alone,” Razzaq, also an AL lawmaker, added.
The sub-committee was asked to identify types of irregularities, money involved with those and people responsible for anomalies, said meeting sources.
“The main committee also asked the sub-committee to submit total picture of construction and repairing works in the areas, including how much money was allocated, money spent so far and quality of the works,” said the committee chief.
Cyclone Aila hit the country's coastal areas on May 25,2009 that claimed lives of 190 people and 150,131 livestock, and affecting 3,928,238 more people by damaging 613,778 houses, destroying crops on 323,454 acres of land, and 1,742.53 km stretch of embankments.
While a correspondent of The Daily Star visited Satkhira on September 2009, the Aila-hit victims pointed out the corruption in the repairing works. They alleged that they did not get the rice they were supposed to get from the work under the "food for work" programme.
They alleged that the chairmen and members of the union parishads and WDB officials ate up a large portion of the rice meant for repair work.
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