Allegations of irregularities against Tala Upazila BRDB officer Narayan Chandra Sarkar (Part-1)

Name not in member list, file not ready; Still allegation of loan distribution

Shamim Khan, Staff Reporter

Satkhira's Tala Upazila Rural Development Officer (BRDB) Narayan Chandra Sarkar has been accused of various irregularities in loan distribution. It is alleged that loans were given to people whose names were not in the member list, loans were distributed without the consent of the concerned inspector, and loans were released without preparing the necessary files and loan books. Based on these allegations, questions have arisen about the loan activities of Enayetpur-1 Samiti of Tala Upazila.

According to the complaint source, the prevailing rules and regulations of BRDB were not followed in distributing loans under the Enayetpur-1 revolving sector. It is alleged that loan facilities were also given to people whose names were not in the member list of the association. It has also been claimed that many members of the association's committee were not aware of the loan distribution.

In this regard, BRDB Inspector (Main) Samrat Chakraborty said that due to various complications and disputes in the Enayetpur-1 association, the loan proposal was previously canceled by ARDO and the loan distribution activities were also stopped.

He claimed, "About a month after the loan proposal was canceled, I came to know that a new initiative to distribute loans has been taken in coordination with the president and secretary of the association, Upazila Rural Development Officer Narayan Chandra Sarkar and Inspector Nazmul. I was not informed about the matter."

Samrat Chakraborty further alleged that in the documents that require the signature of the inspector in the name of the inspector in the case of loan approval, sometimes some blank copies are signed in advance to facilitate field work. He claimed that the documents were prepared without his knowledge by taking advantage of that opportunity.

He further said, “In the LAP-3 form, the inspector’s signature is usually taken in advance. I did not have any signature on the rejected loan proposal, whereas the president and manager had signatures. I suspect that the loan that was disbursed later was a photocopy of the previously taken signature. No original document was signed with my knowledge or presence.”

Samrat Chakraborty further claimed that currently the Narayan Chandra Sarkar is trying to give the impression in various quarters that he had consented to the loan disbursement of the Enayetpur-1 Samiti. However, he completely denied this claim.

He said, “If I had consented, then the necessary pass books, meeting resolutions, members’ shares and savings deposits, and the nine conditions prescribed by the government should have been properly fulfilled as prerequisites for loan disbursement. But in reality, I have come to know that none of these conditions were met. Even the prescribed admission fee was not collected while admitting members.”

He claimed that if the prescribed process had been followed in the loan disbursement, there would have been evidence of his direct involvement and approval in the relevant documents. But he alleged that the activities were carried out without his knowledge and without following the proper process.

Local sources alleged that in some cases, loans were disbursed without the approval of the concerned inspector. Even the necessary files and loan books were not ready at the time of loan disbursement. As a result, questions have been raised about the transparency and accountability of the entire loan disbursement process.

Several employees of the office, who did not want to be named, claimed that the rules and regulations of BRDB are not being followed properly in the Tala Upazila Rural Development Office. They further alleged that some officials and employees within the office are in contact with local Dadan traders. They claim that an investigation into these matters will reveal the real picture.

When contacted, Upazila Rural Development Officer Narayan Chandra Sarkar denied the allegations. However, he did not give a specific explanation about the allegations raised by Samrat Chakraborty regarding granting loans to people whose names are not on the member list, disbursing loans without the inspector's consent, disbursing loans without preparing files and loan books, and others.

When asked about the allegations, Satkhira District BRDB Deputy Director Arifuzzaman said, "I came to know about the matter from you. The allegations will be investigated and necessary action will be taken."

Meanwhile, local conscious circles have demanded that the real facts be revealed through an impartial investigation of the allegations and necessary action be taken against those responsible.