HC asks Rajuk boss to examine graft by his officials
The High Court yesterday directed the officials of Rajdhani Unnayan Kartripakkha (Rajuk) to submit their wealth statements to the Rajuk chairman in 30 days.
The officials will have to do so, so that the chairman can asses whether they are performing their duties honestly or are involved in any corruption, the court said.
The directives came after Rajuk Chairman Nurul Huda and its 51 officials appeared before the bench yesterday, as per the court’s earlier order, to explain their functions in enforcing building safety rules.
During the hearing of a suo moto rule, the HC bench of Justice Shamsuddin Chowdhury Manik and Justice Gobinda Chandra Tagore ordered the Rajuk chief to supervise the safety measures taken at construction sites all over the capital.
The Rajuk chief will have to monitor whether there is any lacking or violation of safety measures and have to take necessary actions through mobile courts against the person(s) responsible for defying safety rules.
The court also ordered the Rajuk chief to investigate the allegation of land grabbing by real estate companies.
He will call the developer companies against whom the allegation was brought and cancel their plan permission for construction sites, if the allegation against them is found to be true, the court said.
Attorney General Mahbubey Alam, who was present at the court during the hearing, then sought necessary orders from the bench for Rajuk officials to prevent them from alleged corruption and compel them to ensure safety at construction sites.
The HC bench on August 1 summoned the Rajuk chairman and its officials while hearing the suo moto rules over the death of four workers in a lift collapse at an under-construction building in the capital’s Kakrail area on July 21 this year, and the death of college student Habibur Rahman Munna.
On July 16, Munna died when a brick from an under-construction building of Sagufta Group on Panthapath fell on his head.
The bench yesterday also asked the Rajuk chairman to conduct an investigation on Aminur Rahman, a Rajuk official for Dhanmondi area, to find out whether there was negligence on his part in ensuring safety measures at the under-construction Sagufta building.
Aminur Rahman yesterday told the court that he had issued a notice on Sagufta Group in February last year so that the realtor company adopts adequate safety measures at its construction site on Panthapath; but they did not comply with that. Aminur reasoned lack of manpower for not taking any action against Sagufta Group.
Earlier in the day, Rajuk chairman Nurul Huda told the court that he has been suffering from lack of manpower and that there are loopholes in the construction law and in the rules to ensure safety measures.
Deputy attorney general ABM Altaf Hossain, who was also present in the court, however, opposed the Rajuk chief’s claim saying that as a government official he cannot place such statement.
The HC said it will refer the relevant laws and rules for scrutiny to the parliamentary standing committee concerned.
The bench, however, exempted Rajuk officials from personal appearance before it.
Advocate AFM Mesbahuddin appeared for Rajuk officials.
-With The Daily Star input
