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Tk 186 crore gobbled up from 2 toll centres

ACC to sue 36 Roads & Highways staff

Staff Correspondent
The Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) yesterday approved filing of two cases against 36 staff of the Roads & Highways Department (RHD) for embezzling Tk 185.91 crore meant for the state coffers.
An ACC probe carried out as part of the measures against institutional corruption found that the RHD employers and officials had skimmed the sums after collecting those as tolls for Tongi-Ashulia highway and Meghna and
Meghna-Gomati bridge through fake money receipts or without any receipt.
Of the amount embezzled, Tk 174.35 crore was collected at Meghna and Meghna-Gomati toll point in between 2002 and 2006 while Tk 11.56 crore at Tongi-Ashulia in between2005 and 2006.
"It might take a day or two more to complete the preparations and file cases,” ACC Director General (admin) Col Hanif Iqbal said during a routine press briefing at the ACC headquarters.
"If the investigation finds involvement of more people, action will be taken against them as well, "he added.
The ACC probe also gathered that staff of the private firm in charge of computerised toll operation and maintenance of Meghna and Meghna-Gomati bridge used to delete toll data from computer^ and sometimes keep the systems shut to help the RHD staff in the misappropriation.
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The cases will be filed under sections 409, 109. and 34 of penal code and 5 (2) of the corruption prevention act 1947.
The communications ministry had moved to find out if there were any financial irregularities after toll collection from the bridge and high -way rose significantly with the caretaker government taking over early last year.
TONGI-ASHULIA
Sixteen RHD staff including three superintendent engineers and seven deputy department engineers are likely to be charged in the case to be filed for graft in toll collection on Tongi Ashulia road.
A deputy assistant engineer, four ward supervisors and an office assistant might also be named accused.
A six- member committee formed by tire communications ministry to investigate the allegations found that Tk 12.52 crore of toll money was embezzled in each of the years 2005 and 2006.
The ministry enquiry also yielded that during the same period Tk 3.43 lakh was embezzled a day while Tk 1.02 crore a month.
The RHD began charging tolls for the Tongi-Ashulia highway in May 2005. Before that, the work would be leased out to private firms.
The amount of tolls collected rose by more than double last year while the number of vehicles using the highway in 2005 and 2006 was only 19.12% and 11.50% less than that in 2007.
The tolls realised in 2005 and 2006 totalled Tk 3.98 crore and Tk 5.56 crore against standard estimates of Tk9.23 crore andTk 13.84 crore.
The ACC probe found that Tk 4.24 crore and Tk 7.32 crore were embezzled in those years, sources said.
After the military-backed interim administration took office the rate of toll collection shot up to Tk 4.93 lakh fromTk 1.49 lakh a day.
MEGHNAAND MEGHNA-GOMATI TWenty-one people including one
from Bromas Joint Venture, the private firm overseeing the computerised toll collection for die bridge, are likely to be charged in the case to be filed for causing a loss of Tk 174.35 crore to the government.
A former superintendent engineer, an incumbent superintendent engineer, three deputy divisional engineers, nine deputy assistant engineers and six work supervisors (toll collectors) might also be accused by the anti-graft body.
The investigation revealed that the RHD staff in question, mostly posted at the toll plaza since 2002, used fake money receipts or no receipt in realising the money they pocketed. They also did not register the actual number of vehicles that crossed the bridge.
According to the ACC probe, Tk 20.87 crore, Tk 43.29 crore, Tk 42.03 crore, Tk 37.68 crore and Tk 28.10 crore were embezzled at the plaza in 2002.2003,2004,2005 and 2006.
Sources said the number of vehicles using the bridge in 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005 and 2006 was 35.66%, 30.04%, 25.37%, 19.12% and 11.50% less than that in 2007.