NN Online:
Md. Rezaul Islam, a trusted engineer from Sheikhbari and a leader elected of the Bangabandhu Prokousholi Parishad in the IEB elections, has recently been given additional responsibility for Khulna WASA’s “Khulna Water Supply Project Phase-2.”
However, Md. Rezaul Islam is still under investigation for alleged corruption, more concerning is that the same official who formed the two-member inquiry committee six months ago—Khulna WASA Secretary Prashant Kumar Biswas—also approved Rezaul’s new assignment on Sunday (April 20).
Meanwhile, Khulna WASA’s Acting Managing Director, Hossain Shawkat, claimed he had no knowledge of the ongoing investigation. He explained that the complaint and the formation of the probe committee took place before he assumed his current role, but assured that he would look into the matter.
Adding controversy, critics claim that while anti-corruption efforts are being strengthened nationwide following the changes of August 5, Khulna WASA appears to be operating in contradiction to that direction.
Advocate Md. Babul Howlader, Member Secretary of the Khulna Civil Society, questioned the secretary’s intentions. “It seems the Khulna WASA secretary is working to install Bangabandhu Engineer Council leaders in key positions,” he said.
“Assigning new duties to someone while concealing an ongoing investigation—one he himself initiated—warrants a deeper probe. Rewarding corruption will only fuel more corruption. This undermines the spirit of the July Revolution.”
Executive Engineer Md. Rezaul Islam has denied all allegations of misconduct. “There is no truth to these accusations,” he said. “To my knowledge, no such individual exists who filed this complaint. The claims about my involvement with the Bangabandhu Parishad have also been overstated.”
