His last day at civil service was Sunday. But just before going on post-retirement leave (PRL), the senior secretary to the local government division, Helal Uddin Ahmed, went to the Netherlands and Spain on a government-funded study tour.
A question arose how the government would be benefitted from a bureaucrat’s study tour when he retired on the next day after returning home.
Helal Uddin Ahmed returned home upon completion of the tour on Saturday and went on PRL on the following day. Three government projects bore all the expenses of his 10-day trip to the European countries.
Experts think that the study tour of soon-to-retire officials is a waste of government funds. Former cabinet secretary Ali Imam Majumder termed the study tour of Helal Uddin Ahmed unethical.
He did not need a study tour. It was necessary for the new officials so that they can contribute to the nation with the study tour learning, said Majumder.
As per the ministry documents, Helal Uddin Ahmed attended the Delta Plan-2100 event in the Netherlands and took part in the Global Water Summit in Spain between 11 and 20 May. Local government, rural development and co-operatives minister Tajul Islam was among the six-member team who went to the study tour.
It is worth mentioning that the Netherlands trip was a part of preparation for the forthcoming international conference on the Bangladesh delta plan-2100 scheduled to be held in Dhaka on 26 May.
All costs of the trip were met from three government projects – the Dhaka food system (DFS), the emergency multi-sector Rohingya crisis response project (EMCRP), and the city governance project.
Prothom Alo attempted to reach Helal Uddin Ahmed over phone, but he did not respond.
Iftekharuzzaman, executive director of transparency international Bangladesh (TIB) said this study tour reflects lack of ethics and responsibility. The tour purpose is inconsistent with the projects that bore the expenses.
He said this spending would raise questions about transparency and accountability in the use of project funds.
The TIB boss also said the tour appeared to have been arranged as a gift to Helal Uddin Ahmed just before his retirement. Those who approved the trip cannot avoid the responsibility, Iftekharuzzaman.