‘Compensation’— the widely abused source

Big projects in this part of the world turn out to be big money spinners for the unscrupulous section of people involved in their implementation.
All avenues are explored to squeeze out the maximum possible unearned income from the funds meant for development projects by corrupt officials both at the centre and local levels.
The distribution of money as compensation among the owners of land acquired for projects and other structures remains to be a very convenient source of making money illegally.
It is not any new phenomenon. Corruption involving land acquisition for development projects, big and small, is quite an old practice. Officials, in collusion with the owners of land and other structures, manage higher compensation money using various tactics and share the same among themselves.
However, in a recent development the local-level political elements, irrespective of their party allegiance, have become active partners in the crime. They are also laying a claim on the money plundered in the name of compensation.
The 1200-megawatt Matabari coal-fired power plant, to be implemented with Japanese financial assistance, is a case in point.  The power plant will be installed in an area measuring 1500 acres in two unions of Maheskhali Island -- Dhalgata and Matabari.
Cox's bazaar district land officials, Maheskhali Upazila fisheries official, some local-level political elements belonging to both Awami League (AL) and Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP), allegedly, plundered  a fund  amounting to more than Tk. 220 million as compensation against the 'damage' caused to their ' shrimp' farms.
An on-the-spot investigation made by correspondents of a leading Bengali daily has detected serious irregularities in the distribution of the compensation money.
The investigative journalists found the report, prepared by the local upazila fisheries officer on the number of shrimp farms to be affected by the proposed power plant project and their owners, as concocted and false. Quoting the local people, the newspaper report said the more than 80 per cent of the people shown as shareholders of the 'shrimp' farms were fake. Moreover, the farms in question were actually not raising any shrimp but some other local varieties of fish.  
However, the crime committed by the nexus of officials and local political elements has been detected and the district administration has instituted 'certificate' and 'divisional' cases against the offenders.
But local people have been found to be sceptical about the outcome of the official action against the persons involved in the crime. They have valid reasons to be so since the plaintiff in the certificate cases is none other than the district land acquisition official, who had earlier signed the compensation money cheques.  The official is not supposed to sign the cheques without examining the authenticity of all the relevant documents.
However, the government is unlikely to get back the money taken out of its exchequer through fraudulent means. A long-drawn legal process, in all likelihood, would come in the way of recovery bid on the part of the government.
What has happened in the case of land acquisition for Matabari power plant is nothing unique. Identical offences were committed in the past, in most cases, with total impunity. And there is no reason to expect any deviation from the past practices in the future.  
Plundering of development funds, being more of a risk-free crime, is increasingly becoming popular, particularly in the case of big infrastructure projects.
Many had gained unduly from the Bangabandhu (Jamuna) Bridge compensation money. These days, more people seem to be eager to reap such benefits from similar projects.
That is why structures of different size and shape are springing up overnight along the sites of large infrastructure projects such as Dhaka-Tangail Highway and Padma Bridge.
Acquisition of land, mostly arable ones, would not fetch much for the owners. But structures on land meant for acquisition would, because of the scopes for manipulating the value of the structures. Officials concerned would be happy to fix the value abnormally on the higher side provided they are assured of their shares.
There should be an independent study on the fund spent on large infrastructure projects with particular focus on money misappropriated and wasted using various tactics. The findings could be stunning ones.

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