A Tk聽90-lakh tourism development project at Shilaidaha Rabindra Kuthibari has come under scrutiny after Tk聽21 lakh went unaccounted for, raising concerns about financial irregularities.
The issue came to light during an Anti-Corruption Commission hearing at the Kushtia Shilpakala Academy on May 26.
In response, a five-member committee headed by Kushtia zila parishad chief executive officer Mukul Kumar Moitra was formed to investigate the issue.
The probe team includes officials from the public works, education engineering, municipal engineering, and relief and rehabilitation departments.
Funded by the Bangladesh Tourism Board, the project aimed to enhance tourism infrastructure through the construction of a water and sanitation block, water reservoir, deep tube well, pump motor and other related facilities.
However, investigators have found no evidence that these components as detailed in the approved development project proposal, were ever built, though full payments were made against the jobs.
Instead, the executed work reportedly included only the construction of an RCC road, site聽development, and the installation of benches and umbrellas in one of the major tourist spots in Bangladesh.
But, bills for the incomplete water and sanitation works were issued, leading to accusations of embezzlement and mismanagement.
During a site inspection on August 19, the complainant told the probe committee, 鈥楾hey claim Tk 69 lakh was spent on five completed works, but couldn鈥檛 explain what happened to the remaining Tk聽21 lakh.鈥�
Despite two prior internal reviews declaring the project to be 鈥榠n order鈥�, the probe committee has yet to find physical evidence of how the funds unaccounted for were spent.
Local people also alleged manipulation by the local administration. They claimed that the deputy commissioner office pressed the former custodian of the Shilaidaha Kuthibari to approve 鈥榝ake bills鈥�.
Kushtia deputy commissioner M Toufikur Rahman said that the investigation into the incident was going on.
Legal action would be taken against those聽found involved in the incident after getting report from the probe body, he added.
Public Works Department executive engineer Nuruzzaman Hossain said, 鈥榃e only provided technical support. The district administration managed funds, tenders and payments. We had no financial role.鈥�
The five-member probe body鈥檚 chief, Mukul Kumar Moitra, said, 鈥楾he Bangladesh Tourism Board allocated the fund, and the implementation was handled by the district administration. We鈥檙e verifying whether the reported Tk聽69 lakh worth of work was actually completed. Any explanation regarding the remaining amount must come from the DC office,鈥� he added.
ACC deputy director Moinul Hasan Rawshni said that an investigation was under way. 鈥楢llegations surfaced at the public hearing.鈥�
The anti-graft agency has tasked the DC with investigating the matter, he said, adding that legal action would be taken once the final report was submitted.