Disaster is terrible in the Directorate of Disaster Management; there is discrimination at every post
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photo: Collected
Anti-discrimination student movement won and new government was formed in the country. But discrimination is widespread in the country. There is an extremely unfair environment in the government offices. Sycophants have occupied important positions over the years and have rendered the entire system useless. Barta24.com will have a series of reports. In the first phase, there is the Directorate of Disaster Management. The disaster there is terrible. Discrimination and anarchy which have emerged in the report of staff correspondent Jahid Raqib.
Anti-discrimination movement has been going on in this directorate for two years. The deserving ones are not getting places, while most of the officers were disgraced by the brutality of a class of officials who were busy with pleasures during the dictatorial Sheikh Hasina government. There is arbitrariness going on. There are complaints that some officials are holding multiple posts in high positions. In this, many talented officers are not getting regular promotion. On the other hand, two to five types of work are being done by one person without hiring manpower for vacant posts. In this, they have to get speed to work in the emergency moment of disaster. An officer and an office assistant have been kept to run the activities of 495 upazilas of the country. There is no own vehicle for the relief operation.
Established in 1972, the only disaster management agency in disaster-prone Bangladesh is struggling due to lack of manpower. As compared to the proposed posts, 952 posts are vacant.
Bangladesh Upazila Project Implementation Officers Association observes a one-party strike to demand recruitment and promotion and manpower increase in the existing manpower structure. Almost two years have passed after raising the logical demand, but no visible initiative has been taken from the ministry.
It is known that, even now, there is an ongoing movement in the Directorate of Disaster Management regarding the elimination of various discriminations.
Ismail Hossain, coordinator of the anti-discrimination movement formed in the department seeking regular promotion, told Barta24.com, "The ministers and secretaries of the previous government have deprived us of regular promotion in the disaster department." That continuity is still going on in new Bangladesh. We want to arrange speedy promotion according to the rules of the directorate.'
He said, "We have suspended the movement due to humanitarian reasons. If the new government does not take any measures to meet the demands, we will announce the next program soon.'
Meanwhile, although there is a provision for appointing and promoting officers and employees of the Disaster Management Directorate according to the Recruitment Rules-1995, the authorities are not paying attention to anything. Irregularity has become the rule in this department for almost a century and a half. It is as if the keeper is playing the role of the eater here.
Apart from this there is the violence of the BCS administration cadre. Sources said that in the existing organizational structure, seven of the eight directorships are occupied by administrative cadre officers. But according to the rules, four people are supposed to be appointed through posting (BCS) and four through departmental promotion. Due to this disparity, those who could have worked in the directorate for a long time with experience and could have occupied higher positions are being deprived of opportunities.
Officials complained that the promotion process has been stopped to deprive departmental officers in a planned manner. Payment of salaries and allowances to officers posted on extra-ordinary postings. As a result, huge expenses are increasing in the management sector of the government.
Allegedly, former ministerial secretaries have embezzled thousands of crores of money from TR-Kabikha, HBB road, bridge and culvert construction projects in the last 15 years by appointing their own favorites.
There is discrimination in the post of deputy director like the post of director in the directorate. Of the 19 Deputy Director posts, 15 by departmental promotion and 4 by deputation are prescribed. But ignoring that rule, 5 officers have been appointed to the post. On the other hand, the department does not look at those who were supposed to get opportunities through departmental promotion. Only one person has been promoted to the post of Deputy Director and the remaining 13 posts have been left vacant. As has been going on for years. Meanwhile, the officers posted on the mission have each occupied the top positions of multiple departments.
In such mismanagement, the project implementation work is not being monitored after the daily office work. Besides, they do not have technical skills in project monitoring work at field level.
An official, who did not want to be named, told Barta24.com that in the last 15 years, the ministers in charge of the Disaster Management Directorate have carried out 'misappropriations'. In the name of relief, officials close to the dictatorial government have built a mountain of wealth. Besides, the deputation appointees hold two to three positions each. As a result departmental leavers did not get evaluation.
This directorate was immersed in unlimited corruption. The corruption of relief money was terrible. In addition, the officials have grabbed hundreds of crores of rupees in the name of implementing various projects. The proof of which can be found, after the fall of the Sheikh Hasina government on August 16, the former senior secretary of the Ministry of Disaster Management and Relief Md. Shah Kamal’s house more than Tk. 3 crore in cash and Tk. 10 lakh worth of foreign currency were recovered.
According to the stakeholders, action should be taken against those who are stealing the aid money of the affected people in cyclone and flood prone countries. Apart from increasing the manpower in the department, they also opined that there should be an investigation as to whose interests such an important department has been paralyzed for some purpose in a disaster-prone country.
It is alleged that former senior secretary Shah Kamal was arrested with a large amount of money. Shah Kamal appointed two first-class upazila government engineers as project assistant engineers by showing thumbs up to the promotion rules with huge financial benefits. Later it had two posts of Executive Engineer and two Assistant Engineers, but only one of them was promoted to the post of Assistant Engineer. The authorities kept the post for 9 years by appointing Dewan Nurul Huda without promoting another vacant post.
As a result, the engineering branch of DDM became practically non-functional due to non-regular promotion and recruitment in the engineering branch of DDM. Due to non-promotion to the post of Assistant Engineer on time, two vacant posts of Executive Engineer have also not been filled. For a long time, the recruitment and promotion in the engineering branch has been stopped and the officers chosen by the higher authorities have been appointed to various positions of the ongoing projects.
An officer in two to five posts:
According to the sources of the directorate, each officer has been assigned responsibility in two to five branches without regular promotion. In the administration branch, Tasnuva Nashtaran is in the post of Deputy Director of Administration-2 but has also been posted as Deputy Director of Administration-1 as an additional charge. Mohammad Kamal Hossain has been given the responsibility of Planning Branch, Mitigation Branch, Deputy Director of Kabikha-3 Branch, VGD Branch 1 and 2 Branch as additional responsibility.
Like Tasnubha and Kamal Hossain, Jharna Begum Kabikha-1 branch deputy director is serving as deputy director of Kabikha-2 branch as additional responsibility, Jahangir Ali Khan is serving as relief-2 branch as deputy director of relief branch-1 along with additional responsibility. Fazle Siddique. Yahya is also serving as deputy director of three branches.
Dewan Nurul Huda is posted as Assistant Engineer in the Engineering Branch. This Nurul Huda is known as the confidant of former secretary Shah Kamal, who was arrested with three crore money. Dewan Nurul Huda, who is posted as Assistant Engineer of Engineering Branch, is simultaneously serving as Assistant Engineer of Flood-Shelter Center, Assistant Engineer of Disaster Management Training Center Project and Assistant Engineer of all projects undertaken by DDM. There are allegations against Nurul Huda that he has made the engineering branch of the department ineffective by managing senior officials of direct and indirect administration.
The Ministry of Disaster Management and Relief is one of the most important ministries of the country. About 70% of the social safety net projects undertaken by the government are implemented through the Ministry's Disaster Management Department. Employment Program for the Super Poor, TR-Kabikha) HBB Roads, Construction of Bridges/Curlverts, Homeless House Construction Programme, Construction and Repair of Cyclone Shelters, Construction of Flood Shelters are implemented by the Department. As a result, the officials demand that the government should speed up the work of the department to ensure the social security of the country.
The directorate did not implement the court verdict:
Meanwhile, those deprived of promotion approached the court due to non-appointment and promotion as per the recruitment rules. Among them, an assistant engineer of the Mujib Killa project told Barta24com that they were supposed to be promoted to the post of assistant director according to the seniority published by the department, but they were not promoted. The official, who did not wish to be named, said that although they have received the verdict from the court's Administrative Appellate Tribunal, the authorities are yet to implement the verdict. Where the authorities are supposed to fill up the vacant posts on their own initiative, their silence is causing anger among the departmental staff.
Nagarik-Sujan Secretary for good governance regarding the irregularities of the disaster directorate, which has not been promoted for a long time. Dr. Badiul Alam Majumdar told Barta24com that non-promotion of officials in government jobs is a regular complaint. In order to get promotion, the people preferred by the political party are ahead, as a result, the talented are deprived, according to Badiul Alam.
According to this eminent citizen, there are no new people entering the ranks unless there are regular promotions; new people do not create things like new ideas, new work incentives or innovations. And if there are old ones there is no pace of work or new action plan and motivation.
He also said that if the same official stays in one place for a long time, there are complaints of irregularities and corruption. Because when an officer stays in one place for a long time, roots grow and relationships with people are formed, which helps to commit misdeeds. I don't understand how to give someone additional responsibility in multiple positions without giving them new opportunities.
Director General of Disaster Management Directorate Rezwanur Hossain said to Barta24com, "I am new in charge, I will investigate the issues and take action later."
On the question of whether the recruitment rules of the directorate's officers and employees are being followed, he said, 'We are looking at the matter of following the recruitment rules seriously. We have already sent our organogram to the ministry for revision.'
To a question about one person holding several positions without regular promotion, he said, 'We are looking into all the issues.' After that, the official hung up saying 'I am going to a meeting'.
