A significant amount of over Tk 112.68 crore in outstanding dues remain unrealised in the Dhaka zone and Tk 3.56 crore in Chittagong and Sylhet zones, over Tk 2.12 crore in Rajshahi zone, and Tk 3.12 crore in Khulna and Barisal zone Dhaka, Nov 22: The government is likely to lose revenue of nearly Tk 1.22 billion (122 crore) as different bodies of the Housing and Public Works Ministry failed to realise the outstanding rents of government houses and other dues. Different departments and directorates under the Housing and Public Works Ministry allocated government houses to public servants, leased rest houses, shops, flats and plots to people and have sold abandoned government houses since 1972. But these bodies could not realise the outstanding rents and other dues, causing a loss of nearly Tk 122 crore to the national exchequer, according to the official sources.Official statistics show that a significant amount of over Tk 112.68 crore in outstanding dues remained unrealised in Dhaka zone, as well as Tk 3.56 crore in Chittagong and Sylhet zones, over Tk 2.12 crore in Rajshahi zone, and Tk 3.12 crore in Khulna and Barisal zone.In Dhaka zone, about Tk 64 crore remained unrealised by the Directorate of Government Accommodation, Department of Architecture, Public Works Department Maintenance Division, Dhaka; Savar Public Works Circle; Public Works Resources Division; and Public Works Division, Munshiganj. The outstanding dues under the National Housing Authority in Dhaka zone is nearly Tk 49 crore. An audit report of the Comptroller and Auditor General’s Office also revealed that there were arrears of over Tk 58.88 crore up to June 2008 against the rent of abandoned government houses, and outstanding amounts against the sale of abandoned houses under the PWD Maintenance Division, Dhaka.
The Works Audit Directorate under the CAG conducted the audit of the office of Executive Engineer, PWD Maintenance Division, Dhaka, in December 2008 and found the huge arrear.The report said the long-lasting arrear is increasing day by day and it could not be realised for “negligence” of the authorities concerned. In 2009, the Works Audit Directorate sent notices to the Housing and Public Works Ministry several times asking it to take effective steps to realise the outstanding house rents and other dues, but the ministry has not sent any response yet, a senior official of the Works Audit Directorate told the news agency. On the audit objection, the parliamentary standing committee on public accounts in 2012 discussed the issue
at its meeting and asked the authorities concerned to take action in realising the outstanding dues.The standing committee also asked the Housing and Public Works Ministry to form a probe body to identify the people responsible for the irregularities and take departmental action against them, and inform the committee through the CAG within one month about the progress in realising the arrears.
-With The Independent input
