Lawmakers fight with minister over 7,000 jobs in railway
Communications Minister Syed Abul Hossain and members of a parliamentary committee yesterday quarrelled over lobbying and interference in recruitment of some 7,000 class-III and class-IV employees for the railway.
At a meeting of the parliamentary standing committee on the communications ministry, several ruling Awami League lawmakers alleged that the minister has been interfering in the appointment of staff at Bangladesh Railway.
They also lamented that the railway’s director general does not entertain their recommendations. Instead, he asks them to talk to the minister, as he is the one who is overseeing the appointment process, an MP who was at the meeting told this correspondent.
At one stage, Abul Hossain said so many requests were coming in for the jobs that he had to be involved in the process, meeting sources said.
Riled by the minister’s reply, the lawmakers requested the standing committee chief, Sk Muzibur Rahman, to ask Abul Hossain to stop meddling in the appointment process.
“Whenever we phoned the director general to request for our candidates, he asked us to call the minister instead,” lawmaker Omar Faruk Chowdhury, a member of the committee, told this correspondent.
“In presence of the DG, we asked the minister if the rules of business allow him to interfere in petty matters like the appointment of third and fourth class employees,” he added.
Another lawmaker, who was present at the meeting, said they asked the minister, “How come the DG asks a lawmaker to contact you for recruitment of a third or fourth class employee?”
In reply, Abul Hossain said, “The DG asked the lawmakers to communicate with me since there was too much lobbying for the recruitment.”
Railway DG Abu Taher last night told The Daily Star that a process is on to recruit over 7,000 class-III and class-IV employees.
Meanwhile, the committee yesterday formed a sub-committee headed by lawmaker Zillul Hakim to see if there have been any irregularities in various railway projects undertaken in the last fiscal year.
Contacted, Iftekharuzzaman, executive director of Transparency International Bangladesh, said, “It is deeply frustrating, as Awami League in its electoral manifesto had said if elected they would ensure that recruitment at all public organisations is done on the basis of merit, qualifications and experience.
“Today’s incident clearly shows that personal interests and influence are getting priority over merit in the appointment of railway employees.”
He also said it is unfortunate that the minister’s or the MP’s recommendation is the main consideration in the recruitment in an important sector like railway.
Referring to the squabbling between the minister and lawmakers, the TIB official observed such conflict comes out in the open when merit is ignored.
Despite repeated attempts, The Daily Star could not reach the communications minister for his reaction.
-With The Daily Star input
