Body to probe allegation against former BTTB chairman

Secretary Mahmud Hassan Monsoor asked the committee on September 5 to submit its investigation report within 60 consecutive days.

The committee headed by Ashfaq Hamid, additional secretary of the Finance Ministry, comprised of Mujibur Rahman Howladar, Joint Secretary of the Establishment Ministry and Mujibur Rahim , Joint Chief, Telecommunications Ministry.

The Cabinet Division scrutinising documents found that the then chairman Nurul Islam was responsible for manipulating the bid for the Chittagong-Cox's Bazar optical fibre link project.

He was also found responsible for wasting government fund worth $37 million by not taking maintenance deal from the Siemens and Huawei Technologies in the BTTB's mobile project, the sources said.

Bangladesh had to pay an additional amount for the after-sales service to the equipment vendors as a section of the BTTB officials, including Nurul Islam intentionally did not avail the after-sales service while signing the equipment deal.

In the submarine cable tender, the chairman headed the bid evaluation committee and picked Siemens, although it made the highest price offer of Tk 49.60 crore, as the bid winner brushing aside the lowest bidder Nortel, which offered a price of Tk 33.80 crore.

Because of the role of the BTTB chairman, Bangladesh's access to the information superhighway is now being delayed by about six months.

Later, Nurul Islam was made OSD (officer on special duty) on July 22 at the Ministry of Establishment for his alleged controversial role in a number of telecoms projects.