9 to visit Europe to inspect 15 lifts

Nine officials, eight of Jatiya Kabi Kazi Nazrul Islam University and one from the education ministry would visit Switzerland and Spain for 10 days to inspect 15 lifts bought for the university in Mymensingh.

Amid mounting criticism, JKKNIU vice-chancellor AHM Mustafizur Rahman decided not to pay the visits to inspect the lifts.

Mustafiz told New Age that he realized that it would be ‘unnecessary for him to inspect the lifts being supplied by Creative Engineers Ltd under a contact signed three years back during the tenure of his predecessor.’

He said that the suppliers would bear the costs of the tour from October 20 to 29.

Former Anti-corruption Commission chairman Ghulam Rahman said that definitely the lifts were procured under the suppliers’ influence.

‘It is a clear case of corruption,’ he said.

Obviously, he said, the suppliers included the cost  of the tour with the price of the lifts to be paid by the exchequer.

University officials said that none of the nine was technically qualified to check the quality of the lifts.

‘As we don’t have the experts so they are going to Switzerland and Spain’ said Hafizur Rahman, JKKNIU’s planning and development director.

ACC chairman Iqbal Mahmood said that he was not aware about the procurement procedures of Jatiya Kabi Kazi Nazrul Islam University.

He said that today he would collect information about the matter for taking the decision about the needed action.

The inspection team would include, education ministry additional secretary Kazi Monirul Islam, JKKNIU treasurer Prof Jalal Uddin, registrar Md Humayun Kabir, arts faculty dean Prof Md Shahabuddin, business faculty dean Prof Subrata Kumar Dey, associate professor of finance and banking Sohel Rana, proctor  Ujjal Kumar Pradhan, planning and development director Md Hafizur Rahman and  deputy chief engineer Mahbubul Islam.

Creative Engineers Ltd, distributors of Swiss firm Schindler Management Ltd, won the tender to supply 15 lifts for Tk 13 crore.

According to university sources, the lifts would be installed at three 10-storey buildings one of which is an academic building for Faculty of Social Science and Faculty of Business Administration and two at student dorms.

The team would visit Switzerland where the lifts are kept and to Spain from where the lifts would be shipped to Bangladesh, said officials.

Creative Engineers managing director Mohammad Rabiul Huq could not be reached for comments despite repeated attempts.

News Courtesy: www.newagebd.net