Allegations of recruiting officials at different level breaching existing law and recruitment rules of the organization has been brought against Palli Sanchay Bank Chairman Dr Mihir Kanti Majumder and Managing Director Akbar Hossain.
The aggrieved officials and employees of the Ekti Bari, Ekti Khamar Project, renamed 'Amar Bari, Amar Khamar,' and the Palli Sanchay Bank on Saturday claimed the two top officials of the organisation are not following the law and rules for recruiting officials and employees in the bank.
The allegations were raised at a press conference of the aggrieved officials and employees of the project and the Palli Sanchay Bank held at Jatiya Press Club on Saturday.
The Palli Sanchay Bank was established with the fund of the project to protect its interest and the properties of the project beneficiaries. At present, the PSB has a capital of Tk 1,000 crore, where beneficiaries are the share holder of 49 per cent and the rest owned by the government.
Amar Bari Amar Khamar and Palli Sanchay Bank Officials Employees Association Organising Secretary Md Sulaiman presented keynote paper while President Selim Ahmed, General Secretary Md Jasim Uddin, members Jinnat Ara Tuli, Rajib Sarker, Md Rahmat, Torikul Islam, Manas Nandi and Tapas Imam also attended the programme.
When contacted, PSB Managing Director Akbar Hossain rejected such allegations saying that they have already prepared a draft of promotion guidelines. It's now with the Finance Ministry for its approval. As soon as the guidelines will be finalized, the officials and employees
will be absorbed in the bank with promotion.
He also rejected the allegations of taking illegal benefits from the newly-appointed employees.
They claimed that the authority is recruiting officials and employees for the bank from different non-government organisations (NGO) depriving the project's existing officials. As per the rules, the project officials and employees would get priority in any kind position in the bank.
But, the chairman and MD of the bank have recently taken an initiative to recruit some senior officers bypassing the law and rules. Learning from different corners, the employees found its authenticity and lodged a writ petition in the higher court seeking stay order in the recruitment process until their issues were resolved properly. But ignoring the court order, they have already recruited 149 senior officials against 278 vacancies, they added.
The agitating employees also claimed that although the law and rules suggested the authority to preserve 50 per cent posts for departmental promotion after absorbing the project officials in the bank, the two top bosses of the bank flouted it.
As a result, around 8,000 officials who were working in the project for three to eight years are being deprived of being absorbed in the bank, they added.
According to allegations, the authority also recruited 485 cash assistants for its upazila offices violating rules and depriving existing officials. At the same time, the chairman has also recruited 30 persons from different NGOs and banks as its deputy regional officer taking illegal benefits.
They claimed that PSB Senior Officer Tofayel Ahmed, a closed aide of the chairman, was caught red handed with Tk 44 lakh while taking bribes from the aspirants. Tofayel is still in jail on the charge brought against him in the case lodged in this regard, they added while replying to a query.
They also expressed frustration over the high official's activities and fate of the fund of Tk 3,395 crore created with the micro-savings of project beneficiaries and government's sponsor fund. Although the fund was mobilised earlier under local UNOs and its field officials, the authority brought it back and deposited centrally. It is hampering the loan activities for the beneficiaries.
In this situation, they demanded interference of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, Local Government Minister Tajul Islam, State Minister for Local Government Swapan Bhattacharjee to stop such activities and absorb the project officials to the bank. Otherwise, they will declare tougher agitation programmes in future.
In the press conference, the leaders of the association gave announcement of organising a human chain programme in front of the bank's Eskaton headquarters at 11:00am on Sunday.
