Two DPDC officials suspended

The authority of Dhaka Power Distribution Company (DPDC) Tuesday suspended two of its officials on charge of different irregularities committed by them in connivance with a tiles factory owner.
Irregularities include installation of new meters without the approval of DPDC, pilfering of old meters and removal of meter readings which caused huge losses to the public exchequer.
The two officials are: junior assistant manager (technical) of NOCS Tejgaon Mohammad Shafi Ullah and deputy assistant engineer of the same area Md Moniruzzaman. DPDC deputy general manger (ER&D), HR Rahima Sultana suspended the two as per article 8.12 of service rules.
DPDC in a statement said it was found that the two officials removed and wiped out the meter readings or burnt meters to help evade electricity bills of Euro Marble and Granite Industries, a tiles factory situated at Tejgaon.
The two officials installed new meters without receiving any application from the factory owner, deposit of fees, without meter testing and taking the old meters back, the statement said.
Acting on a tip-off, DPDC secretary and special taskforce chief Munir Chowdhury conducted a drive on July 02 and unearthed the forgery.
A case was filed against factory owner Zakir Hossain who went into hiding after the forgery had been exposed.  
It was found that the two officials helped Euro Marble in concealing 42,000 units of electricity.  
A factory representative named Mizanur Rahman went to the DPDC office Tuesday and confessed to the crime.
DPDC fined the factory Tk 1.3 million.
Munir Chowdhury said not for the first time this factory has evaded the electricity bill. It is not enough to impose fine only to stop such kind of crimes, he added.
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