The Dhaka North City Corporation (DNCC) has formed multiple committees to investigate corruption and anomalies, but most of them have failed to submit reports.

A committee set up in November 2024 to probe diesel theft at Aminbazar landfill has not sat once in a year. Another committee formed in the same month to examine forged procurement of mosquito larvicide Novaluron also failed to report. Another committee looking into irregularities in 13 tenders and other corruption cases has also missed deadlines, or were given none at all.

On 6 November 2024, a committee led by Additional Chief Engineer Arifur Rahman was asked to report within seven days on the theft of diesel worth millions from the Aminbazar landfill. No report has been filed after a year. “We could not sit for even once with committee members because there is a mistake in formation,” Arifur told the Daily Sun.

“Each probe committee must have a convener and a member secretary. In this committee, no one was made a member secretary,” he then said, adding that he also urged then DNCC secretary Masud Alam Siddique to announce a member secretary but that was never done.

A separate committee formed on 21 November 2024 to probe forgery in procuring mosquito larvicide Novaluron sat only once and has not reported back. Committee member Dr Md Emdadul Hoque said, “We were supposed to submit the report by 10 working days but we are yet to do that. I requested our convener and then-secretary Masud Alam Siddqique but he was not interested.”

Masud was later made officer on special duty (OSD) on 19 February this year for having worked as a returning officer in the controversial 2018 national elections.

Another committee was formed on 24 October 2024 to examine allegations that lowest bidders were bypassed in 13 tenders, was given 15 days to submit its report but it was yet to report back after 11 months.

Asked, a member of the committee, superintending engineer Faruque Hasan Mahmud Al Masud, on 23 September, said that they did not submit the report and sat for twice.           

On September 4, another committee was formed to investigate the tender business of superintending engineer Rafiqul Islam in DNCC but no deadline for submission of the report was set.

On the same day, another committee was formed on the theft and sale of diesel by staff members at Amin landfill with general manager transport as the convener but no deadline was set for the submission of the committee’s findings.

On 23 July, based on a Daily Sun report titled “How 2 DNCC officers remain probationers for decades amid rigged hiring”, DNCC formed a three member committee but no deadline was given for submission of its report.

Meanwhile, on 19 August, DNCC formed a committee to investigate allegations of buying walkie-talkies at an unusually high price from an ineligible firm after what officials called a collusive market price assessment. The committee was supposed to submit its report by 10 working days.

The allegations were brought against the three-member Tender Evaluation Committee, led by Chief Engineer Brig Gen Md Moin Uddin, and the Market Price Assessment Committee, headed by Executive Engineer Saiful Islam. Questions have also been raised about the role of the Technical Evaluation Committee, which included senior engineers.

The DNCC made Deputy Secretary and Chief Audit Officer Md Abdullah the convener of the committee, despite the fact that the rank of brigadier general is higher than the deputy secretary rank.

Asked, Abdullah said he had nothing to do with formation of the committee and that he only worked following orders. The other members of the committee were Deputy Secretary and Chief Accounts Officer Md Barkat Hayat and Executive Engineer Mahbuba Akther.

Seeking anonymity, an official said, “Everything is abnormal in DNCC now and the formation of the committee reflects that more than anything.”

Contacted, DNCC Secretary and Chief Executive Officer Mohamad Ashaduz Zaman said that he was not aware of so many pending investigations.

“I will check the pending investigations. I was asked by a committee to set a deadline for submission of their report but I don’t agree regarding the formation of any committee formed with juniors to investigate seniors,” he said.

“If there are any issues, the committee recommends forming a high power committee. Lastly, if there are any irregularities in the formation of a committee, the committee member can notify us in writing,” he added.

Asked if DNCC officials were apathetic about probing corruption, he said, “Two things slow down the investigations – human behaviour and institutional practice. Officials may feel they are working against colleagues. In city corporations, investigation and transparency are not regular practices.”

DNCC Administrator Mohammad Azaz could not be reached over the phone on 23 and 24 September despite repeated attempts.

Public administration expert and former additional secretary Firoz Mia said committee members should be prosecuted for negligence and misconduct.

“They are given a responsibility to investigate and not carrying it out constitutes an offence of negligence and misconduct. Divisional cases should be filed against all members. They can also write to the public administration ministry regarding negligence and misconduct of deputation officers,” he said.

He added that DNCC officials show apathy in probing corruption and the administrator and chief executive officer cannot avoid responsibility. DNCC must set deadlines for committees, and if there are discrepancies in formation, the committees must inform the authorities in writing.

The reporter can be reached at [email protected]