A TOTAL of 5.48 lakh metric tonnes coal from Boropukuria coal mine were misappropriated throughout 15 years until July 2018, the Consumers Association of Bangladesh (CAB) has claimed. CAB voluntarily started looking into an allegation raised by the Boropukuria Coal Mining Co Ltd (BCMCL) that 1.44 lakh metric tonne coal were stolen. BCMCL had initially accused 19 people over misappropriation of 1.44 lakh metric tonnes but CAB has claimed that the amount is no less than 5.48 lakh metric tonnes. The CAB report said that the misappropriation would not have occurred without cooperation among government stakeholders involved in running the coal mine such as Energy and Mineral Resources Division, Petrobangla, Bangladesh Coal Mining Company Limited and Power Development Board.
The Anti Corruption Commission pressed charges against 23 former and incumbent officials and employees of the Barapukuria Coal Mine Company Limited (BCMCL). Along with the 23, officials of Petrobangla and the Energy and Mineral Resources Division should also be held accountable as all were involved in the systematic plunder of the valuable national resource. What will be the ultimate end of this we don’t know — the ACC is unfortunately a most lethargic organisation. In the other sector where there was widespread national looting of public resources —the banking sector — it has failed miserably to bring any of the bank scammers to justice — some are in jail but most are out on bail. In some of the biggest scams like the BASIC Bank scam it filed cases but was unable to complete a single probe in five years.
Not only did the public lose over Tk 13000 crore of their own money—insult was added to injury when the government pumped in a further Tk 17500 crores to fill in the capital shortfall — the crores of money which came ultimately out of the taxpayers’ pockets. If no firm action is taken, the plunder of resources — maybe in other unknown sectors — will continue for the future.
