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Shilpakala Academy Project

Ministry, academy at loggerheads

Ersjiad Kamol
Bangladesh Shilpakala Academy (BSA) and the Ministry of Cultural Affairs have locked horns over implementation of the second phase of a project titled Training on Fine and Performing Arts.
Last week, mid-level ministry officials led by a joint secretary along with the contractor who is also the consultant of the controversial project went to the office of the BSA secretary and scolded him for reporting to the ministry gross irregularities in awarding the contract to Sunrise Engineers, alleged the BSA authorities.
The Tk 24.99 crore project
includes completion of the second phase construction of Rajbari Acrobatic Centre in Rajbari, and construction of a high rise administration building on the premises ofBSAheadquarters in the capital.
Soon after the issuance of the work order in favour of the contactor on October 22, 2006, several newspapers published reports that there had been irregularities in awarding the contract.
Following the news reports, the erstwhile cultural adviser to the caretaker government first suspended the project temporarily and later on July J 8,2007 the succeeding cultural adviser, Ayub Quadri, scrapped the project altogether
ordering an investigation and punitive actions against persons involved in the alleged corruption.
The investigation subsequently found that to bypass an approval from the Cabinet Committee on Government Purchase (CCGP) the original project cost of Tk 26.22 crore had been corrected by the project director, lowering it to Tk 24.99 crore just before issuing the work order, and Tk 1.15 crore of that was paid to the contractor on the same day.
According to government rules any government project costingTk 25 crore or more must be approved by CCGP FROM PAGE 16
On Mrach 8, 2007 even after the suspension of the project, BSA had to pay an additional Tk 1.22 crore to the contractor due to pressure from a few ministry high officials, said high officials of BSA.
The immediate past director general of BSA Quamn.il Hassan told re Daily Star, "A group of ministry officials put pressure on me to pay lerore 22 lakh 50 thousand taka to the contractor."
Meanwhile, the contractor last year filed a writ petition against the government decision to scrap the project
The ministry at a meeting on July 7,2008 decided to come to an out of court settlement with the contractor on the matter, and sent a letter to BSA asking the academy not to pursue any legal action against the contrac-tor’swrit
The BSA authorities however wanted to challenge the contractor's writ in the court, and when they asked the ministry for a copy of the investigation report, the latter declined to provide that, according to the BSA authorities.
Bhuiyan Shafiqul Islam, current director general of BSA, told the Daily Star, "The way the joint secretary to the ministry along with the contractor burst out in anger with the academy secretary regarding the matter, was totally unexpected and very unbecoming of a responsible government official."
Joint Secretary to the Ministry of Cultural Affairs M Nasiruddin Khan however denied the allegation, but admitted that he along with other officials of the ministry went to BSA and talked to the academy management regarding the project
"We didn't take the contractor with us. He was present there before our arrival," he said.
" Instructed by the secretary of the ministry we went to the academy to inquire about some other recent irregularities. While talking, I asked the academy secretary about the second phase of the Training on Fine and Performing Art project, as the recent report on it sent by the academy was not ideal for an out of court settlement with the contractor", he added.
The joint secretary accused the BSA authorities for no t abiding by the ministry decision.
He said, "The ministry on consultation with the Ministry of Law and Justice had decided for an out of court settlement. But we noticed that
the BSA authorities took a different stand of their own ignoring the government decision without considering the financial loss the government will incur due to the advance payment of about three crore taka to the contractor."
The BSA director general however told The Daily Star, "We don't wan t to be a part of such a controversial project We want to stop it as we don't need any more building on the academy p remises. Who will sit in the high rise? We don't have that many employees. I think the interest of invisible individuals is motivating the government in giving out the contract to build a high rise violating the master plan of the academy."
When the secretary to the cultural ministry was contacted by The Daily Star for comments, he admitted that he did send a group of officials to BSA to inquire about some unrelated irregularities.
u BSA doesn't want to advance with the project anymore we.will not interfere," he added.