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Safari Park Project

Forest boss removed

Staff Correspondent
Tapan Kumar Dey, Conservator of Forests (wildlife), was removed yesterday from his position as project director of Bangabandhu Safari Park, Gazipur, on charges of misappropriation of project funds. Earlier, a departmental work evaluation committee found evidence of funds misappropriation by him.
"There are several allegations of corruption committed by him. From the Bangabandhu Safari Park project he has gobbled up Tk 50 lakh in two years showing (false) purchase of wildlife," said an official of the Department of Forest on condition of anonymity.
An influential forester, Tapan was removed from another World Bank-supported project, "Strengthening Regional Cooperation for Wildlife Protection in Asia",lastweek.
Chief Conservator of Forest Md Yunus Ali has been given charge of Bangabandhu Safari Park, while Aparup Chowdhury, deputy secretary of the environment and forest ministry, has replaced Tapan in the other project.
Although there were several allegations against Tapan, he was made chief of the two projects which altogether involve over Tk 550 crore.
Tapan initiated the Bangabandhu Safari Park in Gazipur when the present government came to power and was made its project director later. Initially, the project involved Tk 75 crore, which was later revised to Tk 270 crore.
Zakir Hossain, a wildlife trafficker who was arrested in connection with three tiger cubs rescued in the capital, recently named Tapan in his confessional statement.
He told journalists Tapan had asked him and others to bring the cubs from the Sundarbans for the safari park.
"Tapan Babu had bought a Gharial from us before 2001 for the Dulahazra Safari Park.
But he did not pay for it," Zakir told the journalists at the office of Rab-2 after his arrest.
Ministry sources say Tapan showed around Tk 50 lakh as having been spent on purchases of different species of wildlife and their carrying and maintenance costs in the 2010-11 and 2011-12 fiscal years.
Only in 2011-2012 FY he showed more than Tk 40 lakh as spent on wildlife species purchase for the safari park.
However, "no species of wildlife was purchased in reality for the safari park," said an official, asking not to be identified.
"Different species of wildlife which were rescued at airports or along the border have been kept in the safari park. Tapan might have wanted to show those species as purchased wildlife," the official added.
On the basis of allegations against him, the Department of Forest formed a work evaluation committee in September 2011. The committee submitted its report in February 2012.
The report mentions that "there are some expenses shown in the book for purchasing wildlife and their maintenance even before making any animal shed in the safari park. However, the project director did not cooperate with the committee when asked about those animals".
"But we did not see any animals during our visit to the safari park as per his claims. There was even no evidence of tender floating to that end,” said one of the three members of the committee.
The report also mentions that "more than Tk 27 lakh was overspent in connection with the nature history museum, water supply and
construction of a gate".
Another member of the evaluation committee told The Daily Star that Tapan did not maintain the book of project expenditures properly.
Tapan was one of the graft suspects during the rule of the last caretaker government and went into hiding until the Awami League-led alliance formed the government in 2009.
NeitherTapan nor the chief conservator of forests could be contacted over phone despite repeated attempts.