Irregularities detected in Shahjalal University project
Saturday, 18 October 2008
FHM Humayan Kabir
Irregularities and misuse of public funds have been detected in a Shahjalal University project that aims at improving academic facilities, officials said.
The government's project monitoring and evaluation body -- Implementation, Monitoring and Evaluation Division (IMED) -- has mentioned the irregularities and misuse of the public funds in its project evaluation report.
The University Grants Commission (UGC), the project implementing agency, has constructed some buildings and conducted some other development works in the Shahjalal University in Sylhet in violation of the government approved project proposal (PP).
The UGC took the project -- further development of Shahjalal Science and Technology University at a cost of a Tk 260 million under the fifth-year plan -- for constructing a central auditorium, academic building, guesthouse, student dormitory and some other development works for improving the education facilities.
The executive committee of the national economic council (ECNEC) approved the project in April 2000.
An IMED official said: "We visited the university in May 2006 and evaluated the entire project that was completed in 2005. We have found some major irregularities."
"We've prepared a final project evaluation report and sent it to the education ministry in July 2006 for taking necessary action. But the ministry is yet to do so," he said.
IMED in its evaluation report recommended taking legal action against the involved persons for violating the project proposal, faulty construction works and misuse of public funds.
The report said the project executing agency had started construction of a 1250-seat capacity central auditorium at a cost of Tk20 million against the earmarked 1734 square metres and 750-seat auditorium under the PP.
"The implementing agency has completed a partial work of the auditorium spending Tk20 million fund as earmarked in the PP. As it took up the large building construction project with the allocated money, the building could not be built due to inadequate fund," the report said adding: "this is a clear violation of the government rules."
The project executing authority has spent an additional amount of Tk5.0 million over the allocated Tk 14.5 million fund for building an academic building at the university violating the approved PP by the government. The building has not been fully constructed and has remained unutilised, the report said.
"It has not also constructed a lawn tannins court as per PP. It only built a two-storied gymnasium with the allocated money. The public fund has also been misused in the construction of the guesthouse," the IMED report said.
Some other irregularities and misuse of public fund have been detected in implementation of segments of the project, it said.
The IMED in its review also noticed some mismatch in fund allocation and spending in the "PCR--project completion report" and the amount of expenditure originally shown in the project proposal.
"Since the education ministry is yet to inform us about the legal and administrative actions against those responsible for the irregularities and misuse of public funds, we have recently asked the ministry again to inform us if any action has been taken," the IMED official said.
Irregularities and misuse of public funds have been detected in a Shahjalal University project that aims at improving academic facilities, officials said.
The government's project monitoring and evaluation body -- Implementation, Monitoring and Evaluation Division (IMED) -- has mentioned the irregularities and misuse of the public funds in its project evaluation report.
The University Grants Commission (UGC), the project implementing agency, has constructed some buildings and conducted some other development works in the Shahjalal University in Sylhet in violation of the government approved project proposal (PP).
The UGC took the project -- further development of Shahjalal Science and Technology University at a cost of a Tk 260 million under the fifth-year plan -- for constructing a central auditorium, academic building, guesthouse, student dormitory and some other development works for improving the education facilities.
The executive committee of the national economic council (ECNEC) approved the project in April 2000.
An IMED official said: "We visited the university in May 2006 and evaluated the entire project that was completed in 2005. We have found some major irregularities."
"We've prepared a final project evaluation report and sent it to the education ministry in July 2006 for taking necessary action. But the ministry is yet to do so," he said.
IMED in its evaluation report recommended taking legal action against the involved persons for violating the project proposal, faulty construction works and misuse of public funds.
The report said the project executing agency had started construction of a 1250-seat capacity central auditorium at a cost of Tk20 million against the earmarked 1734 square metres and 750-seat auditorium under the PP.
"The implementing agency has completed a partial work of the auditorium spending Tk20 million fund as earmarked in the PP. As it took up the large building construction project with the allocated money, the building could not be built due to inadequate fund," the report said adding: "this is a clear violation of the government rules."
The project executing authority has spent an additional amount of Tk5.0 million over the allocated Tk 14.5 million fund for building an academic building at the university violating the approved PP by the government. The building has not been fully constructed and has remained unutilised, the report said.
"It has not also constructed a lawn tannins court as per PP. It only built a two-storied gymnasium with the allocated money. The public fund has also been misused in the construction of the guesthouse," the IMED report said.
Some other irregularities and misuse of public fund have been detected in implementation of segments of the project, it said.
The IMED in its review also noticed some mismatch in fund allocation and spending in the "PCR--project completion report" and the amount of expenditure originally shown in the project proposal.
"Since the education ministry is yet to inform us about the legal and administrative actions against those responsible for the irregularities and misuse of public funds, we have recently asked the ministry again to inform us if any action has been taken," the IMED official said.