Pabna’s Rooppur Green City project has come under scrutiny after allegations of “abnormal expenditure” in the purchase and installation of furniture and other essential items in the project buildings. Following an investigation, Deputy Assistant Engineer Md Shahin Uddin of the Public Works Department (PWD) has been placed on compulsory leave.
Another Deputy Assistant Engineer, Md Alamgir Hossain, involved in the same irregularities, has been demoted to a lower pay grade, according to a notification issued by the Ministry of Housing and Public Works.
A press release issued by the ministry on Friday confirmed the disciplinary actions.
The notification stated that “while serving in the Rajshahi PWD zone, Md Shaheen Uddin and Md Alamgir Hossain were found responsible for abnormal expenditures in purchasing and transporting furniture and necessary materials for the 20- and 16-storey buildings of the Rooppur Green City project, which had been reported in various media outlets at the time.”
The report of a separate investigation committee, formed jointly by the PWD and the Ministry of Housing and Public Works on May 19, 2019, confirmed the irregularities in procurement and installation.
Based on the committee’s recommendations, one officer was placed on compulsory leave, while the other was demoted in pay grade.
The disciplinary actions followed departmental case investigations, proper procedures, and advice from the Public Service Commission, and were issued by Ministry Secretary Mohammad Nazrul Islam under presidential orders on Thursday.