Swechchhasebak League leader appointed manager 'violating rules'

A leader of the Swechchhasebak League was appointed as a manager (branding and marketing) of the Bangladesh Data Centre Company Limited.

Manager Ronjit Kumar, who is from Natore’s Singra upazila, is the vice president of Swechchhasebak League’s Singra upazila unit.

He was the personal officer and private assistant secretary to state minister for information and communication technology (ICT) Zunaid Ahmed Palak, who is the lawmaker from Natore-3 constituency (Singra upazila).

Two experts on the public administration and the Govt. Service Rules said no employee of the government agency can hold the position of the associate body of any political organisations.

Questions also arouse over the appointment of another manager (logistic), Md Ekramul Haque, who was also a personal officer to state minister Zunaid Ahmed Palak.

Age limit and educational qualification were allegedly relaxed at the job advertisement to appoint Ekramul Haque.

Speaking to Prothom Alo on Wednesday evening, state minister Zunaid Ahmed Palak said the BDCCL is a separate company outside the jurisdiction of the ministry and the company has its managing director and recruitment committee.

Regarding the recruitment of these two managers, Zunaid Ahmed Palak said they have resigned from their positions as per rules and joined the new jobs. However, Ronjit Kumar can leave his political post if he wants, but as the state minister he has nothing to say.

A data centre stores data and information of digital world, and such infrastructure is deemed very sensitive. The ICT Division has set up a data centre in Kaliakair of Gazipur at a cost of over Tk 15 billion, and state-owned BDCCL operates it.

The BDCCL gave an advertisement on 29 April 2022 for 41 posts including technical and non-technical. The job advertisement shows age limit was relaxed for five posts; these are manager (branding and marketing), manager (logistic), security officer, store keeper and security guard while job qualifications for people working at ICT Division and its subordinate offices were relaxed in three positions– manager (branding and marketing), manager (logistic) and store keeper.

Qualifications state job experience and requirements of candidate working at ICT Division and its subordinate offices can be preferred and in this case, age limit and educational qualifications can be relaxed.

Ekramul Haque, who was also a personal officer to state minister Zunaid Ahmed Palak, has been appointed under these relaxed rules.

There are four more posts equal to the rank (grade-5) of Ekramul Haque. No job requirement was relaxed during the appointment of three posts. An official with this post receives a salary of Tk 85,000 a month.

Wishing anonymity, several officials of the ICT Division told Prothom Alo age limit and job qualifications were relaxed to recruit the chosen people.

The age limit of manager (logistic) was 37 years, but, according to his job application, Ekramul Haque was 45 when applying for this post. He obtained Bachelor of Science from Shahid Mashiur Rahman Degree College, Jhikargacha, Jashore.

Speaking to Prothom Alo, Ekramul Haque said he doesn’t think age limit has been relaxed for him. He joined the data centre in January this year and has been working at the ICT Division since 2012. He was with the state minister for 7-8 years.

According to his job application, the manager (branding and marketing) Ronjit Kumar, completed Bachelor of Arts Gol-e-Afroze Government College, Singra in Natore. He was the personal officer to the ICT state minister from 2015 and the assistant personal secretary to the state minster from 2019.

Minimum five year experience at government or private organisations was one of requirements for manger (branding and marketing) post.

Age was not a problem for Ronjit Kumar, but he is directly involved in politics. Natore’s Swechchhasebak League unit president Ishtiaq Ahmed told Prothom Alo’s Natore Correspondent that Ronjit Kumar became the vice president at the committee of Singra’s Swechchhasebak League unit in October 2022. He was made acting president of the committee recently.

However, Ronjit Kumar claimed to Prothom Alo on Wednesday he no longer holds any post of Swechchhasebak League and resigned from his post before joining this job. At one stage of this conversation, he said there is no problem in holding a post at any organisation as per the Company Act.

Ronjit Kumar joined BDCCL in December 2022, but a press release, signed by Singra’s Swechchhasebak League unit organising secretary Abu Toha Talukder, stated on 1 May that Ronjit Kuram has been made acting president of the unit in absentia.

According to the Government Servants (Conduct) Rules 1979, no government servant shall take part in, subscribe in aid of or assist in anyway, any political movement in Bangladesh or relating to the affairs of Bangladesh.

Speaking to Prothom Alo, BDCCL managing director Zohra Begum said she heard about the involvement of Ronjit Kumar in politics from this correspondent and she would look into the matter.

Recruitment exams of BDCCL’s non-technical posts are held at Bangladesh Computer Council. Recruitment of two out of nine employees has been completed. While recruitment exams of technical posts are held at Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology (BUET). Appointment for these posts has not been completed.

Former rector of Bangladesh Public Administration Training Centre (BPTC) AKM Abdul Awal Majumdar said there is nothing illegal in relaxing job qualifications, but it indicates indirectly that rules have been relaxed to recruit their chosen people, but question may arise over nepotism in recruitment.

Government service rules expert and former additional secretary Firoze Mia told Prothom Alo though the data centre is a company, it is fully owned by the government, so, none from this agency can hold a political post.

*This report appeared in the print and online edition of Prothom Alo and has been rewritten in English by Hasanul Banna