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Anti-graft crusader in a Milk Vita stew

Corrupt syndicate out to remove its MD

Tawfique Ali
The newly appointed chief executive of corruption-ridden Milk Vita who wanted to detect and punish corrupt employees has been implicated in a rather flimsy allegation of being a Hefajat-e Islam supporter and misbehaving with a board member.
Mohammad Munir Chowdhury, who earlier earned public acclaim for his crusade against cormption and anomalies in the environment depart- ment, was appointed managing director of the state-run cooperative dairy firm eight months ago.
Since then he has detected quite some corrupt practices in milk procurement, equipment purchase and recruitment. He took action against 25 officers and employees, punished 23 officials, and realised Tk 10 lakh in fines from some of those found guilty.
On top of that, Munir Chowdhury put strong watch over excessive expenditure in procurement
FROM PAGE 1 and introduced close circuit camera surveillance on milk collection and pasteurisation to check misappropriation and pilferage. The measures saved the organisation from losing more than Tk 2 crore during this short period of his service.
The MD initiated procurement of a milk analyst to prevent collection of adulterated and substandard milk. He also asked for a team of Anti-Corruption Commission to investigate institutional corruption and announced that the imminent job confirmation of around 500 officers and employees would be done as per rules and without any underhand deal.
But now, as he has refused to entertain an unfair demand by Hosne Ara, a Milk Vita management committee member who is also a leading figure in the ruling Awami League (AL) auxiliary Krishak League, that he appoint her son as a distributor, Munir has been accused of being a Hefajat man and of humiliating Hosne Ara.
On such flimsy grounds, the local government minis-
try has formed an enquiry committee, which has already launched an investigation.
The matter did not end here, said sources, adding that the government had sent a team of National Security Intelligence to Milk Vita's Tejgaon head office on September 22 and a team of Rapid Action Battalion two days later.
Munir said, "Hosne Ara turned vengeful, as I turned down her request to appoint her son Meer Sharif Hasan Lenin as the Milk Vita distributor in the capital's Rampura area where there is already a distributor."
Talking to The Daily Star, Hosne Ara admitted to pursuing the MD for the distributorship for her son, who is a central committee leader of pro-AL youth wing Jubo League.
She accused Munir of humiliating her too, but declined to give further details on the matter.
Meanwhile, insiders said Md Shafiqur Rahman, vice-chairman of the management committee, had held a meeting with all the officers and employees in the last week of September and
directed an additional general manager to prepare a list of allegations so that Munir could be removed from Milk Vita.
He also directed CBA (Collective Bargaining Agent) and non-CBA employees to unite against Munir and issue the government an ultimatum for his removal.
Shafiqur, however, told The Daily Star that the meeting had not been held to demand Munir's removal, but "to discuss the grievances of officers and employees over the government move to depute two more government officers in Milk Vita”.
He said, "There are several factions in Milk Vita and one spreads propaganda against the other."
Mihir Kanti Majumder, the now retired secretary of Rural Development and Cooperatives Division who posted Munir in Milk Vita, said, "Munir is an honest officer, highly committed to the public interest and bows before no political quarter."
"Ironically, his honesty and anti-corruption stance enraged the corrupt section and put him in trouble
wherever he was posted," said Mihir Kanti.
Several employees of Milk Vita, requesting anonymity, said the management committee had made an unofficial announcement that Munir would soon be removed, as Hosne Ara had used all her connections in the government.
Hasib Khan Tarun, chairman of the management committee, said corruption was everywhere and Milk Vita was no exception.
"The problem with the MD is, he has no orientation in running such an organisation," he said, adding. "He raises too many questions on any procurement and recruitment delaying the whole process."
Jahangir Alam Manju, CBA president of the dairy company, said: "Milk Vita will be ruined if this honest MD is removed. He has brought discipline here and made it profitable. We will seek prime minister's intervention in this matter."
Milk Vita collects fresh milk from cooperative farmers and market packaged liquid milk, milk powder, butter, ghee, curd and ice-cream.