Misuse of vehicles

The only flaw in the reports as I find is that the vehicles were being misused for decades since the birth of Bangladesh. It is just that over the last two decades the matter has gone out of all proportions and to a shameful stage. I personally had the misfortune of "obliging a minister of the time frequently with a four wheel drive Nissan Patrol car" while working for a development project under USAID funding during the mid nineties. I was working as its Administrative Manger under extreme duress. Most of these project vehicles are usually procured out of foreign grant funds and for specific activities. The vehicles are usually procured for field visits related to performance of a specific component of project activities. Most of the Project Directors being lower in rank than the Secretaries or the Ministers, he or she is simply obliged to provide the vehicle or else earn the "displeasure" of the concerned Secretary or the Minister. No wonder some Secretaries were " irked by the reports". Ministers and Secretaries in this country had been having a good time for decades at the expense of the welfare of the general public. It reminds me of a line of the lyric of a popular folk song, which says "Lau-er Aga Khailam, doga khailam, dugdugi Bajailam. …etc.

" Worst of all, most of these vehicles are often used for ferrying families to extended family relations living in different cities and district towns all over the country. Eid-ul- Azha is a day away and I would be surprised, if some such vehicles are not used for trips as described above, despite your reports. Of late however there has been an added dimension to all this. Ministries themselves are now procuring such luxury vehicles out of their own revenue budget. Use of such large and expensive vehicles have also turned out to be a status symbol in our society at large.

Once again I congratulate The Daily Star for working hard on the issue. Do not give up; be at it.