& çâÌæÚUæð´ ·¤è ¥ôÚU Îð¹Ùæ ÁæÚUè ÚU¹ð´ ¥ÍæüÌ ¥ÂÙð ÜÿØ ÂÚU ŠØæÙ ÚU¹ð´Ð ãæÚU Ù ×æÙð´, €UØô´ç·¤ ·¤æ× ·¤ÚUÙð âð ¥æÂ·¤ô ©gðàØ ·¤è Âýæç# ãôÌè ãñ ¥õÚU ÁèßÙ ·¤æ ¹æÜèÂÙ ÎêÚU ãôÌæ ãñÐ ÖÜð ãè ÁèßÙ ×ð´ ç·¤ÌÙè Öè ·¤çÆÙæ§ü €UØô´ Ù ¥æ°, çÁ™ææâæ ¥õÚU ©ˆâæã ÕÙæ° ÚU¹ð´Ð ŠØæÙ ÚU¹ð´, ÜÿØ ã×ðàææ ¥æÂ·Ô¤ Âæâ ãôÌð ãñ´ çÁ‹ãð´ ÂæÙð ·Ô¤ çÜ° ÂýØæâ ¥æÂ ·¤Öè Öè àæéM¤ ·¤ÚU â·¤Ìð ãñ´Ð

DFP's black hole of plunder

194 cases of tender forgery, false billing unearthed

REZAUL KARIM
The Department of Films and Publication (DFP) has turned into a black hole of public money plunder where all sorts of corruption including false billing, forgery and bribing run rampant.
Authorities uncovered 194 cases of tender forgery in a range of unbelievable ways involving crores of Taka last year.
Some top officials of DFP, an important department of the Ministry of Information, in collaboration with wheeler-dealer contractors, top bureaucrats and press workers pocket the public fund.
Their tactics include false billing, publishing advertisements in name-only newspapers, getting advertise-
ments printed in major dailies craftily without the knowledge of authorities concerned and influencing probe bodies and bribing.
Despite detection of a raft of such cases, the government has not yet taken any action against 'mammonish' DFP officials as they are well-connected with higher authorities even at the Prime Minister's Office and Ministry of Information.
A recent tender forgery by DFP officials sparked furore at the Ministry of Agriculture and the cheating was confirmed later by a probe body.
The forgery came to light when the information ministry last year ordered a probe into a complaint lodged by Agriculture Secretary Ayub Quadri who
pointed out that an advertisement, carrying DFP No 23215-11/9, was totally false.
He said bills were paid against the advertisement published in Daily Inqilab and Daily Banglabazar Patrika regarding "Production of Improved Seeds, Preservation and Distribution Project".
The probe body found his allegation true, as the original advertisement carrying the number was an appointment notice of the deputy commissioner's office at Panchagarh.
The inquiry committee headed by Joint Secretary (Development) Muhammad Afsaruddin, however, 'craftily saved' the corrupt officials, an official said, requesting anonymity.
Besides, drawing bill against false advertisements, the corrupt DFP clique also sell their favour to some contractors by publishing tender notices involving huge amount of money in unknown and poor-circulation newspapers.
They also realise money from the newspapers that include Bhorer Dak, Ajker Protasha, Dhakar Dak, Itteshal, Good Morning, Jalchap, Dainik Banner, Nabo Chetona, Nutun Alo, Rupali, Rupbani, Sabujdesh, Bhorer Awaj, Nawroz, Naba Jagaron, Deshjanata, Janapad, Janabani, Samabesh, Ajker Bhola, Ajker Janodesh, Asia Bani, Ajker Darpan, Desh Potrika, Ajker Batra, Purbavash, Spashtabadi and Sakal Bela.
SEE PAGE 11 COL 6 FROM PAGE 1
According to an inquiry committee, the public works department of Bhola sent a tender notice last year through the Information Ministry asking to publish it in leading newspapers.
But the DFP officials published the tender in Ajker Bhola, New Nation, Janobani, Nawroz and Samabesh.
In a similar case, the Roads and Highways Department of Gopalganj asked DFP to publish a lease quotation in two leading English and Bangla dailies, but the DFP published it in Bhorer Bani, Deshjanata, Janobani and Ajker Janodesh.
The dishonest firms persuade these newspapers to publish the advertisement in only 20 to 25 copies so that it never reaches their rival's hands.
The departments and directorates of ministries send tender notices to DFP through the Information Ministry for publication.
Even there are instances of getting such advertisements in major national dailies in collaboration with a section of press staff.
Source said after printing of origi-
nal newspapers, press staff print some extra copies in exchange of money by removing original matters from the plate. The DFP officials then submit the fake copies to the departments concerned.
The corrupt DFP officials also earn a huge amount of money through giving special supplement to unknown newspapers that in turn offer half of the total amount to the officials as bribe.
There are instances that DFP's film section gobble up the whole amount allocated to produce new documentaries. They show old films in the name of new ones.
Corruption is also rife in purchases of films and chemicals.
Several inquiry committees, including one by the Bureau of AntiCorruption, were probing allegations of corruption, forgery and purchase in the Department of Films and Publications (DFP).
Some probe bodies observed that the corrupt officials at DFP were running the department flouting all rules and policies of the government
for personal gains.
There are allegations that two officials at the Prime Minister's Press Wing and some officials at the Ministry of Information maintain close links with the DFP-men.
The Ministry of Information found a number of allegations true in investigation, but no action has been taken against the guilty.
Besides, some officials say a number of probe bodies were virtually purchased by the corrupt DFP clique.
Previously a section of junior officials were engaged in corruption, but the clique is snowballing with the passage of time, some information ministry officials said.
A probe committee headed by Deputy Secretary (Press) Alamgir Bhuiyan is under tremendous pressure for not submitting its report, they said.
The Bureau of Anti-Corruption recently seized different DFP files to investigate some specific allegations, but hectic effort are on even from the Prime Minister's Office to block the process.