Tk 3.42bn looting attempt through dredging project foiled, says Advisor Sakhawat

He says several “useless” projects have been pushed forward to benefit select groups

Advisor M Sakhawat Hussain has claimed to have stopped the misuse of nearly Tk 25 billion across five projects under the Ministry of Shipping in just a year of taking office.

One of the largest was a Tk 3.42 billion dredging project in Kishoreganj’s Itna, Mithamoin, and Austagram Upazilas, of which Tk 700 million had already been spent during the Awami League government’s tenure.

At a press briefing on Monday marking his one-year in office, Sakhawat said he refused to extend the project’s duration, preventing a further Tk 2.7 billion in spending.

He outlined similar savings from other initiatives:

He added that similar cost-saving measures were taken in other major initiatives:

• Tk 2.14 billion saved from the Mongla Port expansion project

• Tk 13 billion from 35 dredger procurement projects

• Tk 1.33 billion from the Marine Academy simulator initiative

• Tk 5.63 billion from the Rabnabad Channel Dredging project

Referring to the Kishoreganj project, Sakhawat said a technical review found no river channel where dredging had been planned, only residential areas. The water bodies there already had natural depths of 4–5 metres, making the initiative redundant.

“This was essentially a looting scheme,” he said, alleging that more than Tk 3 billion had been earmarked for non-existent work. “They were just moving soil from one wetland to another, which created more problems.”

Despite the flaws, Tk 770 million had already been paid out, he added.

Sakhawat further alleged that several “useless” projects were designed not in the public interest but to benefit select groups.