No end to corruption-ridden projects

It is disconcerting to us just how intrinsic corruption seems to be in projects of any size in Bangladesh. Since late January this year, a flurry of reports has come out regarding how politicians—closely related to the education minister—have acquired land chosen for the Chandpur Science and Technology University (CSTU) by showing hugely inflated prices. Eerily enough, Selim Khan, chairman of Lakshmipur Union Parishad chairman and local Awami League leader, applied to the education minister to select specific lands for the university four months before the administrative approval for land acquisition. Selim and his family members bought about 14.46 acres of land for Tk 38.16 crore between June 2020 and April 2021, besides some others, including the education minister’s brother, who bought land (meant for the construction of the CSTU) at inflated prices—or at least that is what the papers show. Allegations have also arisen that Selim forced locals to sell/give up their lands to him.

The UP chairman, of course, denies these allegations and claims that he did buy the land at the stated hefty prices. If so, we wonder why the education minister, when contacted by our correspondent, would say that “the allegations of price manipulation were likely true.”

Moreover, why did Selim Khan and Co buy the lands at such hefty prices in the first place? Indeed, the prices were 20 times higher than what they should have been, compared to other lands in the area, as discovered by a 13-member committee formed by the Chandpur district administration to look into the matter. Are we to believe that a major local politician and people close to him were led to purchase land at such exorbitant prices? If this is the case, how come research had not been conducted on what the prices of the land surrounding the plots meant for the university was priced at? The district administration committee found that, at the falsely inflated prices, the government would have to pay Tk 553 crore for the 63.549 acres of land, as opposed to the estimated actual price of about Tk 193 crore.

We understand that a writ petition is currently pending before the court, and we hope it will get to the bottom of this issue. If proven true, we hope those behind the sinister plan of making some bucks by showing artificial prices in the deeds will be punished. We also hope that the CSTU VC’s request to complete land acquisition for the university will be fulfilled promptly. It is disheartening that the construction of an essential educational institution should lag behind due to the greed of an influential few.