IMED finds Bangabandhu Safari Park project is riddled with irregularities, millions embezzled

The Implementation Monitoring and Evaluation Division of the Ministry of Planning has found gross irregularities in the Bangabandhu Safari Park project.

Millions have been embezzled from the project under the Forest Department, according to the complaints.

Recently, the IMED submitted a final report highlighting the irregularities in the project and suggested the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change investigate those further.

They are not aware of the issue but will look into it as the IMED suggested, Ziaul Hasan, the secretary to the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change told bdnews24.com.

The government took the scheme in 2010 to build "Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Safari Park" project at a cost of Tk 639.3 million at Sreepur, Gazipur.

The initial deadline for the project was December 2012 but the timeline was extended later and the three-year project ended in nine years. 

The project cost ballooned to Tk 3.25 billion, having overshot the original budget by 409 percent.

It was completed in June 2018 and the Forest Department submitted a completion report to the IMED in 2019.

The IMED went for an inspection following the report and found scores of irregularities.

ORCHARDS GONE

Tk 1 million was spent on creating a banana orchard and a bamboo orchard in the project which were never found when the IMED inspected the park.

“The two wings of the banana orchard and bamboo orchard were never implemented but hundred percent financial progress was mentioned in the project completion report,” IMED said in its report.

Both the orchards were created accordingly but they could not show those to the IMED officials as they were ruined before the inspection, Jahidul Kabir, the director of the Forest Department told bdnews24.com.

Before the final inspection, its officials never saw any banana and bamboo orchard during two inspections earlier on Jan 9, 2017 and Jan 23, 2018,  IMED said in its report.

HANGING BRIDGE GOES WOBBLY

A 210-foot long hanging bridge was made to cater the visitors in the safari park with an allocation of Tk 5 million.

The project director issued a work order of Tk 3.7 million but the cost was shown Tk 5 million in the report, said IMED.

Made with low-quality wood, the bridge was found to be broken at both sides. Also, some gaps were there in the middle, meaning it became unusable for visitors.

“I wasn’t the project director when the wooden bridge was made. Therefore, I can’t say anything about it,” PD Jahidul told bdnews24.com.

NO ARMS

Twenty shotguns and 600 cartridges were listed to be bought under the project, which the project authorities could not show the IMED during their inspection. They bought 20 shotguns but gave five of those to Moulvibazar Safari Park, the project director said.

NO VEHICLES

Of the two single cabin pick-up vans listed under the project, IMED found one.

“Project completion report mentioned the purchase of two pick-up trucks, but they could not provide any paper supporting it. Also, the pick-up bought under the project did not work,” the IMED report said.

At least Tk 7.2million was allocated to buy two pick-ups.

Two safari jeeps were purchased at Tk 7.2 million, which IMED officials found broken.

Although there was a budget to buy four safari minibuses, the project bought five spending Tk 22.7 million. The IMED considered this as an irregularity.

They bought two pick-ups, Project Director Jahidul told bdnews24.com.

BROKEN AIR-CONDITIONERS

Another project wing was supposed to install 20 air-conditioners in the museum, canteen, food court and other places. The project completion report mentioned the purchase of 20 air-conditioners at Tk 2.9 million.

The IMED found three air-conditioners in the museum and four in the canteen and food court but all were broken and never fixed.

The revised DPP allocated Tk 16 million for the children’s corner including its fence, entry gate, shades and toilet.

A work order of Tk 10 million was issued to supply and install roller coaster, ferry’s wheel, paratrooper, merry-go-round, mini butterfly train and playground set. But the project completion report put the cost at Tk 15 million. The report did not mention where Tk 5 million was spent.

Some of the rides were found broken during the inspection.

OTHER IRREGULARITIES 

Though there was a budget of Tk 12 million to construct 4,000 metres road in the park, the project authorities issued a work order of Tk 7.7 million to construct 3,340 metres road.

“But they showed expenditure of the budgeted amount of Tk 12 million,” IMED report said, assuming there was an embezzlement of Tk 4.2 million.

Similarly, a work order of Tk 2.4 million was issued to construct a snake park while the budgeted amount was Tk 3 million.

“The snake park construction was found incomplete,” said the IMED report.

The IMED could not analyse the situation of two project wings - 10,000 square km parking area and 2,500 square km crown pheasant aviary- because the implementation authority did not provide enough information on them.

Four dormitory buildings were supposed to be constructed for the third class staff in the project but a work order was issued to construct a barrack.

The information and education centre made at a cost of Tk 1.1 million was found closed during the day of inspection though it was not a holiday.

Only 43.90 acres of land were acquired instead of 450 acres as planned in the project.

Increased land prices made it impossible for them to acquire the rest of the land, said the project director.

“The project director could not provide any satisfactory explanation about the incomplete implementation work of other wings in the project,” the IMED report said.