Govt to increase oversight to curb corruption in ongoing projects

The government has taken an initiative to increase oversight in ongoing development projects to prevent corruption and irregularities. 

A source at the Implementation Monitoring and Evaluation Division (IMED) said the agency will work jointly with the ACC to detect corruption in ongoing development projects. A memorandum of understanding between the two organisations is expected soon.

Meanwhile, Planning Adviser Wahiduddin Mahmud said corruption in projects occurs in two phases – project formulation and implementation. However, there is usually little monitoring at the implementation stage. To address this, the government has adopted a new supervision strategy. 

One part of this strategy involves strengthening the IMED, which is responsible for overseeing government development projects. Additionally, changes are being made to the Public Procurement Act to help curb corruption.

He made these remarks to journalists on Wednesday (7 May) after a meeting of the Executive Committee of the National Economic Council (Ecnec) at the NEC conference room in Sher-e-Bangla Nagar.

The planning adviser said IMED conducts inspections of ongoing projects and makes some routine recommendations, but these are rarely implemented. Recently, the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) uncovered irregularities in a project under the Local Government Engineering Department (LGED), which was widely reported in the media. Now, the government is initiating efforts to identify corruption and irregularities in ongoing projects.

The adviser further stated that in many projects, irregularities come to light only after the officials responsible have retired, making it difficult to take action against them. Therefore, a new strategy is being adopted to detect and address corruption and irregularities during the implementation stage itself.

He cited the example of the Matarbari coal power plant in Cox's Bazar, which is now operational. However, after the project was completed, the project director failed to account for Tk6,571 crore and is currently absconding. The audit objections remain unresolved.

Wahiduddin Mahmud added that although the plant has a generation capacity of 1,200 megawatts, the Power Development Board (PDB) is only drawing 185 megawatts from it. It is unfortunate that the plant's full capacity is not being utilised. 

To keep the plant running, coal has to be imported twice a week. Until recently, low-grade coal was being imported from Indonesia, but it has now been sent to Bangkok for quality testing. However, those who sent it are reportedly not showing interest in collecting the test results.

The adviser also pointed out that coastal embankments in the country often do not last long. He stressed the need to investigate why these embankments fail, who is responsible, and who is involved. He noted that in many areas, embankments are constantly being repaired, which increases both time and cost, yet the work remains unfinished. He attributed the problem to projects not being designed according to actual needs.

To ensure proper monitoring of embankment construction projects, he said a high-powered committee will be formed. Committees have already been set up to investigate whether there were irregularities in embankment construction in the Sunamganj and Satkhira regions.

Nine projects approved at ECNEC meeting

Meanwhile, the Ecnec meeting chaired by the chief adviser approved nine projects with a total estimated cost of Tk3,756 crore. One of these was the first revision of the Gulshan-Banani-Baridhara Lake Development Project, with a revised cost of Tk555.39 crore.

In response to a question, the planning adviser said the remaining work on the lake would bypass the Karail Bosti area. Pollution in the lake has increased significantly, and parts of the land have been encroached upon. 

Although the project began in 2010, only limited progress was made in the first few years, and then it stalled. The current target is to complete the work by 2026. He warned that no funds should be spent without proper waste treatment. 

He added that though the project falls under Rajuk, officials from the Forest Department will also be involved. This is not just a project for the Gulshan-Baridhara lake area, but an effort to make Dhaka a more liveable city.