The government has taken disciplinary action against Senior Assistant Secretary Rumpa Sikder over allegations of irregularities and negligence in the construction of houses under the Ashrayan-2 project.
As a penalty, her annual salary increment has been suspended for two years.
The Ministry of Public Administration issued a notification in this regard on Wednesday.
According to the notification, Rumpa Sikder served as Upazila Nirbahi Officer (UNO) of Nalchity Upazila in Jhalokathi from July 2019 to December 2022. During her tenure, around Tk 1.45 crore was allocated for the construction of 302 houses under the Ashrayan-2 project, including 128 houses in Char Shatpakia area.
However, her successor UNO Nazrul Islam later found during an on-site inspection that 55 of the 128 designated houses had not been built. The relevant project official later recovered the funds and deposited them in a bank.
Investigations revealed that Rumpa Sikder failed to take effective action regarding the unconstructed houses and had signed cheques for the full amount. She was also found to have failed to ensure the quality of construction work.
A departmental inquiry was conducted following allegations of misconduct against her. The inquiry found the charges to be proven, confirming lapses in administrative efficiency and negligence in duty.
After reviewing the allegations and the inquiry report, the government imposed the minor penalty of suspension of salary increments for two years.