Satkhira Correspondent:
In Satkhira, BNP's Ward 2 General Secretary Matinur Rahman Kochi has taken a lease of 18 bighas of agricultural land of a government college without a tender at a nominal price. Local residents said that he was leased to him for a year for just 70,000 taka without a tender in the dark of night, in collusion with Badrul Millat, an associate professor of the college's Bengali department. The government has lost a huge amount of revenue due to the lease being granted at a nominal price. The college's tender and purchase committee does not know how the lease was granted in the dark of night. Earlier, on January 5, the college's lake, pond, and huge mango orchard were leased in the same way.
Meanwhile, the lease of 18 bighas of land at a nominal price has created a negative reaction among the public. Elkabasi said that the lease to the same person without a tender has created a mixed reaction. Elkabasi claims that a teacher of the college did this by misleading the current principal. He used to control everything in the college in the same way before. Elkabasi has sought the intervention of higher authorities of the government so that tenders are called again.
Several local residents, who did not want to be named, said that a group had been occupying the college's lakes, ponds, agricultural land, and mango orchards for a long time without any tender. Badrul Millat, an associate professor of the college's Bengali department, used to control everything in the college alone. Once again, he misled the college principal and leased everything to people of his choice at nominal prices. Although the college had a tender and purchase committee, they played a puppet role.
Local residents also said that earlier, on January 5, a tender was held for the college, where the college's lake and pond were leased to local ward BNP leader Matinur Rahman Kochi for just 70,000 taka. The college's mango orchard was leased for just 95,000 taka. Local residents said that if an open tender had been called, everything would have been purchased at three times the price. And without any tender, 18 bighas of agricultural land were leased to a person named Abdur Razzak for just 70,000 taka. Not only that, in the dark of night, college teacher Badrul Millat sold fish from the pond adjacent to the hostel to BNP leader Kochi for just 50,000 taka.
The general secretary of the BNP in Ward 2 of the municipality, Matinur Rahman Kochi, who took the lease of the lake and pond using political influence, said, "I took the lease of the college's lake, canal and small pond. I did not take the lease of the hostel pond. I only bought the fish from Badrul Millat, an associate professor of the Bengali department of the government college, for 50,000 taka. I did not take the tender for the hostel pond. So, he could not give a good answer as to how the teacher Badrul Millat sold the fish."
When asked about selling fish from the pond by Badrul Millat, an associate professor of the Bengali department, he said, "Who am I to sell fish from the pond? There is a college principal and a purchase and tender committee. I have not sold any fish." He said that a group is spreading misinformation about me. In response to the question that he controls everything in the government college, he said that is not possible.
Satkhira Government College's procurement and tender committee convener and department head of the management department, Professor Montazabur Rahman, said that tenders have been given only for canals, small ponds and mango trees in the college. When asked whether the 18 bighas of agricultural land have been tendered, he said that it has not been done yet. When asked whether he knows whether the lease has been given, he said that the college principal can tell him, I don't know. When asked about the reason for leasing everything at such a low price, he said that he would ask the college principal.
Satkhira Government College Principal Professor Abul Hashem said that the college's canal and small pond, mango orchard, and agricultural land have been leased. In response to the question that everything was leased at such a low price, he said, "Earlier, there was no lease at all. After I came, everything was leased, so the government is getting some revenue." In response to the question that 18 bighas of land were leased for only 70,000 taka but the college's tender and purchase committee did not know, he said, "There are valid documents for the tender. Come and see the college, I invite you." When asked about this, a teacher of the college controls everything and said that it is not possible.
SM Habibul Hasan
Satkhira Correspondent
