Khulna Water Development Board officials living in housing facilities arranged by the government have been evading rents in defiance of the rules for the last 10 years.
They applied to the board seeking exemptions from paying rents but the Anti-Corruption Commission has described it as irregularity and corruption.
Zulfikar Ali Howlader, caretaker engineer of Khulna Water Development Board and chief of the committee that allocates accommodation, said: “The Water Development Board accommodation were built in the 1960s but they are no longer suitable for living. The previous committee wrote to the board, urging not to deduct housing allowance. But money is deducted from salaries, 7% for officials and 5% for workers.”
Deputy Director of Khulna Water Development Board Md Abul Kashem said: “Rents are not deducted because of the decision of the housing allocation committee. But the committee’s recommendation is still under consideration by the board. If the board rejects it, all the money have to be returned.”
Executive engineer Mojibur Rahman, who is the member secretary of the committee, described the money allotted by the government to renovate the accommodation as very scanty.
“We cannot do anything with that amount. If house rents are not deducted from salaries now, pension of the employees will be put on hold after their retirement.
“Several have retired but they are yet to get pension clearance. It will be released only after the decision of the board is made,” he explained.
Mojibur also said: “If we demand Tk10 crore for renovating houses, we are only allotted Tk1 crore. So, the money is almost good for nothing.”
SM Shamim Iqbal, assistant director of the Anti-Corruption Commission, said withdrawing the whole salary without paying rents for government-arranged housing facilities is synonymous with corruption.
