The government incurred a loss of around Tk 5 crore in the last four years besides missing out an opportunity to make a bigger profit on leasing out the Bangladesh China Friendship Conference Centre (BCFCC) to the Agrabad Accom-Consortium Ltd. (AACL), a sister concern of the financial scam-ridden Orion Group.

This group was awarded the job of maintaining the center under a lease agreement for a span of 10 years in 2005, three years after the government decided to handover the centre's management to a private sector firm.

As per the terms of the contract with the AACL, the government received Tk3crore only a year from the firm, whereas Tk 4.2crore was earned per annum by the centre during the period it was under direct government control.

Records suggest the centre under private management posted an operating profit of Tk 10 crore in 2007, which is 40 percent up from the previous year's.

The BCFCC's main users include corporate houses, banks and different fair organisers from home and abroad.

The centre, constructed at a cost of Tk 200 crore in 2002, was actually designed to host the NAM (non-aligned movement) Summit during the Awarni League rule. But the

plan was cancelled after the caretaker government took office.

This correspondent in a recent visit to the BCFCC, found the centre's drains full with used plastic packets, waste paper cups and glasses. Waste paper blocked many of the outflow sources and the building was filled with die stench of damp carpets and waste 'biriani' (traditional food). It is alleged that most of the venues upstairs arc not cleaned everyday.

"This ill condition in the centre sometimes prompts us to arrange our programme outside it, but we have to compromise because of the scale

of events and the high prices charged by die five star hotels who also rent out their venues to event managers," said a

senior official of an event management firm who recendy organised the largest-ever motor show in Dhaka.

However, Tanveer Qamrul Islam, deputy general manager (sales and marketing) of AACL, the BCFCC's maintenance authority, denying the allegation of poor maintenance said the people who rented die BCFCC also had a responsibility to clear up their mess. "It's not always our responsibilities to look after all the issues, rather the bodies rent the space have some responsi-bilities to clean up." he added, pointing to the lack civic sense of some. He said the BCFCC spends Tk 10 lakh every month to maintain the centre. He also pointed out that there are only 74 staffers to look after the huge centre.

Sayeda@thedailystar net