The High Court on Monday sought enquiry reports from the housing and public works ministry on alleged irregularities in purchasing furniture and other household items for officials and other employees of Rooppur Nuclear Power Plant.
The HC asked the Attorney General’s Office to collect the reports from the committees formed by the ministry and submit those to the court within a week of its reopening after the upcoming vacation. Attorney General Mahbubey Alam opposed the petition saying that the housing ministry has already formed two separate committees to carry out enquiries into the reported irregularities. At this stage, it would not be right if the HC interferes in the matter, he argued, adding that he would not defend anybody involved in graft.
According to reports in the media as well as on social media, the purchase prices of various items to furnish the project’s 966 apartments for the Russian engineers and others were abnormally higher than the market prices. The reports claimed that each pillow was bought for Tk 5,957, and the cost of carrying it to an apartment was Tk 760. An electric stove cost Tk 7,747 and the carrying cost from the ground floor to the top one cost Tk 6,650.The reports also said that the price of an electric iron was Tk 4,154 and the carrying cost Tk 2,945. The HC directive is welcome as it must be determined whether the media reports have any merit. If they do then the officials in charge of procurement must be roundly censured for failing to keep costs in line with the actual purchase price of these items. Any irregularities must be investigated and the officials punished for gross negligence in fulfilling their duties.
Procurement has long been a weak spot in our public projects. Certain officials have seen this as an avenue with which to mint money. It is unfortunate that the government can’t appoint Ombudsmen to look into public sector corruption, not to mention the fact that it has basically made bureaucrats immune to any legal actions by the members of the average public-thus making them feel that they are, to all intents and purposes, above the law. This situation must change-it should be possible for an average person to charge a public official for corrupt activities if he is found doing so.
Rooppur Nuclear Power Plant is being built with Russia’s loan. Specially with loans from Russia and China it is generally alleged that extravagant use of such funds fostering in corruption is easier for lack of strict supervision. The advantage of a weak government tempted to corruption is at play in projects with Russian and Chinese loans with higher interest but offered easily. It is further alleged that such corruption or abuse of funds is a two way affair.
We feel it to be said in the interest of our good relationship with both Russia and China that we do not want to see the next generation of our young ones is forced to shoulder the burden of such foreign loans that can be so easily abused. The nature of our government is also not unknown to our friends abroad. So it should be clear the funds from China and Russia must not be available for extravagant waste so that the people will also force to deny responsibility for repayment of such foreign loans.
