Graft obstructs a step forward

"IT-based rural post office" -- that's what is written on the two-room pucca building of Koilain Post Office in Nawabganj, Dhaka.

The post office was transformed into a post e-centre so that people can get various IT-based services.

But during a visit late last month, its collapsible gate was found locked from outside. A local woman was seen collecting dried cow dung on the premises.

The postmaster, Mashiur Kabir, was not there.

He, however, rushed back to his office from his pharmacy in a market nearby, after getting a phone call. But he could not show what services his office provides.

"I don't have the office key to open it," he told The Daily Star. "It is with the runner who went to the nearby village."

This is the picture of one of the 8,500 post e-centres, which went through digital transformation under the project titled "Post e-Centre for Rural Community".

The Tk 541 crore project started in 2012 and was completed on June 30, 2017.

People are supposed to use a post e-centre for getting various IT-based services including computer compose, printing photographs, scanning, emails and online test results, according to the website of the Directorate of Posts.

They are also supposed to draw social safety net allowances or get agent banking service and computer training from these e-centres.

Unfortunately, the transformation of the postal services hardly benefits people as most of the e-centres are not functioning.

One of the reasons -- as the government's probe bodies found -- is widespread corruption and embezzlement of money without fully implementing the project.

According to the directorate's website, 5,506 post offices have been converted into e-centres before state minister Tarana Halim assumed office in 2015 for a three-year term.

Under her leadership, all 8,500 post offices were converted into e-centres before schedule, it claimed.

But a large number of people are still unaware of the services that the e-centres provide. Those who know about it find the centres locked for most of the time like the one in Koilain union of Nawabganj.

A GOOD INITIATIVE TAINTED

As the allegations of graft started surfacing, the Posts and Telecommunications Division formed two separate inquiry committees on October 7 last year and January 26 this year respectively.

Musleh Uddin, joint secretary of the division, was the convener of the first committee while Muhibur Rahman, an additional secretary (telecom), was convener of the second.

Both the committees did not find evidence of use of maximum equipment purchased under the project.

In their reports submitted in November last year and February this year, the committees said the project authorities did not give any instructions on what the devices would be used for.

Although Tk 69 crore was allocated for training, no one was trained.

The actual cost of the project is Tk 380.65 crore, though it was estimated to be Tk 540.94 crore. Nothing was mentioned about the remaining Tk 160.29 crore in the Project Completion Report.

Both the committees held Sudhangshu Shekhar Bhadra, director general of Directorate of Posts, responsible for the financial irregularities and corruption. He was also the project director.

The Anti-Corruption Commission has already started an investigation into the matter and earlier this month, it quizzed the director general.

Md Salahuddin, the investigation officer and a deputy director of the ACC, said they got allegations against Sudhangshu on several occasions.

"He [Sudhangshu] was summoned before the ACC for quizzing. The investigation is going on."

The parliamentary standing committee on the posts, telecommunications and information technology ministry at a recent meeting recommended removal of Sudhangshu for his alleged involvement in widespread corruption and irregularities.

"The parliamentary committee recommended his removal for his alleged corruption. We hope its recommendations will be implemented," Benjir Ahmed, chief of the standing committee, told The Daily Star.

Dr Iftekharuzzaman, executive director of Transparency International Bangladesh, said the allegations of corruption against the DG are symptomatic of the vulnerability of public procurement to illicit collusive practices by a section of government officials with the vendors and contractors of infrastructure projects often with political linkages at various levels.

Allegations in this case transcend the typical abuse of power by the incumbent and his agents, as there is strong basis to suspect widespread fraudulence and profiteering capitalising on funds for lofty postal information centers which were reportedly never built, he said.

"Such institutionalised corruption cannot take place without the participation, collusion and protection of the chief executive," he said

"And all these seem to have been going on unabashedly at the cost of taxpayers."

Iftekharuzzaman further said it is encouraging and important for the ACC that the parliamentary committee found the allegations credible. The ACC has therefore a challenge to prove that it can genuinely bring to book anyone irrespective of identity or status, he added.

FINDINGS OF THE COMMITTEES

The first probe committee in its report said 17,000 Point of Sale (POS) machines were purchased under the project to serve customers with postal cash cards.

But only 704 of the machines are being used.

The report said although 10,000 finger vein machines were bought, only 643 are being used.

Tk 54.93 crore and Tk 19.62 crore were spent respectively to purchase these two types of machines.

The investigation report further said out of 17,000 POS machines, 14,129 were distributed at the field level and the remaining 2,871 are at the director general's office. The machines sent to the field level are lying unused and undistributed.

During the investigation, 850 POS machines and 600 finger vein machines were found wrapped in packets at the Khulna Divisional Office of the Postal Department, it said.

The second investigation committee in its report submitted in February said although 500 general servers had been procured under the project, three heavy servers included in the DPP had not been procured.

Many of the general servers have also been delivered two years after the project deadline.

An official of the postal department said many servers were bought and sent to the post offices. However, none of them could be used as nobody knew how to use them.

The Daily Star called Sudhangshu's mobile phone several times but it was found switched off. He also did not reply to text messages.

These correspondents went to his office two days but he was not found there as well.

On Sunday, his personal assistant said Sudhangshu was neither coming to office for the last several days nor doing work-from-home.

"Sir is having rest at his home," he said.

Post and Telecommunications Minister Mustafa Jabbar said Sudhangshu is no longer serving in his post now.

However, the website of the directorate still contains his photo as its DG.

"We have sent all the reports of investigations conducted by the ministry and the Anti-Corruption Commission against Sudhangshu Shekhar Bhadra to the public administration ministry. My ministry will take action in line with the decision of the public administration ministry."

The minister said it is the public administration ministry which will take the decision whether Sudhangshu will be sacked or face other actions.