Executive Engineer Mohammad Kamruzzaman Behind the ScenesEngineer Arif reluctant to leave chair for 'sweet gains'

Serious allegations of irregularities and corruption have been raised against Engineer Arif Hossain of Kalihati Upazila in Tangail. Although he has been transferred, he is allegedly unwilling to leave his position, disrupting development work. He is also accused of interfering in several ongoing projects.

Sources said, 'Arif Hossain, an Upazila Engineer under the Local Government Engineering Department (LGED), has not handed over official responsibilities to newly appointed Engineer Md. Sanowar Hossain despite his transfer. Although the transfer order was issued two weeks ago, Arif has yet to vacate the post, hampering development activities.

According to a government order issued on 8th April, Kalihati Upazila Engineer Arif Hossain was transferred to Cox's Bazar's Chakaria as a Upazila Engineer and Bhuayapur Upazila Engineer Md. Sanwar Hossain was transferred to Kalihati as a Upazila Engineer.

As per the rules, Md. Sanwar Hossain joined the District Executive Engineer office in Tangail on the 12th April as Kalihati Upazila Engineer. Similarly, on 13th April; Arif Hossain joined the District Executive Engineer office in Cox's Bazar as Chakaria Upazila Engineer.

Sources said, although he has been officially transferred to another position, Engineer Arif is still holding onto his current office and delaying the handover process. As a result, the newly appointed Sanwar Hossain is unable to take charge, creating administrative complications.

It is alleged that Engineer Arif is unwilling to vacate the position mainly because of the various benefits, influence and financial or unofficial perks associated with the role. These “sweet advantages” are believed to be the main reason behind his delay.

It has also been alleged that Executive Engineer Mohammad Kamruzzaman has been indirectly supporting Arif in retaining the post. However, Kamruzzaman denied the allegation.

Meanwhile, serious allegations have also surfaced against Executive Engineer Kamruzzaman, who reportedly managed to remain posted in Tangail despite an earlier transfer order.

These two incident has sparked criticism within the department, with many questioning his actions. Insiders mention that such practices are not uncommon, where officials try to prolong their stay in lucrative or influential posts through lobbying or delaying tactics.

The situation has reportedly disrupted normal administrative activities and raised concerns about discipline and governance within the department.

Due to Engineer Arif's unwillingness to leave the post, normal operations in the office have been disrupted. Concerned authorities are reportedly aware of the matter and there are expectations that necessary action will be taken to resolve the situation and restore proper administrative order.

 

 

Allegations against Engineer Arif

It has been alleged that Engineer Arif Hossain has previously been involved in various forms of corruption in multiple projects, making him controversial among local residents. Among these, in the current fiscal year, under the Kalihati Upazila Parishad, a 4,000-meter supporting bridge project on the Parkhi road saw only 30 meters of construction completed, yet an advance payment of 6.2 million taka was issued to the contractor, Torofdar Enterprise.

Additionally, on the Suruj Dhalapara road, cracks appeared in a two-kilometer stretch immediately after carpeting work was completed. Despite this, Engineer Arif allegedly accepted a bribe of 2 million taka and approved a payment of 20 million taka to the contractor, Das Enterprise.

This is not all; according to reliable sources, before leaving his position, Engineer Arif is reportedly attempting to approve large payments for three more projects in exchange for substantial bribes.

When asked about these matters, Arif Hossain denied all allegations, stating that no advance payments were made during his tenure. He claimed that certain groups are spreading these accusations against him out of personal vendetta. Arif showed arrogance in response to every question when confronted by journalists.

When asked about the delay in assuming responsibilities; newly appointed Kalihati Upazila Engineer Md. Sanowar Hossain told this correspondent, “Immediately after receiving my transfer order, I joined the office of the Executive Engineer. However, since the outgoing engineer Arif Hossain has not handed over the duty, it is hindering my ability to work and is also disrupting development activities in the upazila.”

When asked about the matter, outgoing engineer Arif Hossain said, “As Chakaria Upazila Engineer Saurav Das has been promoted, he is taking some time to hand over his duty. Once he leaves, I will hand over the responsibilities of Kalihati to Engineer Sanowar Hossain and take my leave.” At the same time, he denied allegations of accepting bribes.

When asked about the complications related to the joining of Upazila Engineer's post during a telephonic conversation with Executive Engineer Mohammad Kamruzzaman; he told this correspondent, "A complication has arisen regarding the joining of the Upazila Engineer post in Kalihati. We hope this issue will be resolved by next week.”

At one point in the conversation, without answering all questions, Kamruzzaman quickly hung up the phone citing that he had to go outside.

Following the allegations raised against Tangail’s Kalihati Executive Engineer Mohammad Kamruzzaman and Upazila Engineer Arif Hossain, this correspondent conducted an in-depth investigation and obtained numerous documents of corruption and irregularities involving those two engineer.

A preliminary review has confirmed the authenticity of these allegations and for the sake of public interest, detailed findings will be published in the next installment of this report.