I want to stop all ‘fraud’ and provide updated information: Hasnat Abdullah

Hasnat Abdullah, member of parliament for Cumilla-4 (Debidwar) and a leader of the National Citizen Party (NCP), has stated that he wants to stop all forms of ‘fraud’ by ensuring transparency and accountability.

He said, “Within just 21 days, I have tried to understand my responsibilities. From my position, I will ensure transparency and accountability so that no form of fraud can occur and every public service reaches the doorsteps of the people.”

Hasnat Abdullah made these remarks during a Facebook live session where he described his experience during the first 21 days of serving as a member of parliament.

To support this goal, he has also launched a Facebook page titled ‘Jobabdihita’ to provide updated information on development projects, government allocations and activities in Debidwar.

On Tuesday night, he went live from his verified Facebook account and outlined the work he carried out from the day he took oath on 17 February until 11 March.

Although Hasnat Abdullah discussed various matters during the live session, the information regarding the allocation of 312 kilogrammes of government-supplied dates in Debidwar attracted particular attention.

The issue has generated debate on Facebook, both in support and criticism.

During the live session, he said, “It is worth mentioning that today (Wednesday) Debidwar received a total of 312 kilograms of dates in 39 boxes. Each box contains eight kilogrammes. These are government allocations. The dates will be distributed among the madrasahs in the 15 unions. Each madrasah may receive about three kgs.”

Hasnat Abdullah further said, “In a few days, ahead of Eid al-Adha, camel and mutton will also arrive. We want the public to understand how every single penny is spent. No middleman or chairman and members should be able to manipulate anything according to their own interests.”

During the Facebook live session, Hasnat Abdullah also warned the secretaries of the 15 Union parishads in Debidwar that their “records of performance” would soon be reviewed.

He said, “There are centres of corruption among these secretaries. I respect your efforts and hard work, but we also want to ensure that the allegations against you do not exist. Not even a single penny should be manipulated.”

He also stated that officials and employees of the municipality involved in corruption or irregularities would not receive any leniency.

While outlining his work over the past 21 days, Hasnat Abdullah said that after assuming office he held meetings with every branch of the administration, including the law and order coordination committee.

He said the biggest problem in Debidwar is the condition of the roads. Currently, road development works are underway through eight projects under the Roads and Highways Department, the Local Government Engineering Department (LGED), and the Project Implementation Officer (PIO).

Hasnat also said that construction work is currently underway for nine primary schools in Debidwar.

For the constituency, 3,081 Vulnerable Group Feeding (VGF) cards have been allocated for the municipality and 20,635 cards for the 15 unions. Each cardholder will receive 10 kilogrammes of rice.

Hasnat Abdullah also published the names of the Union chairman responsible for distributing the rice and urged them to ensure that only the truly marginalised people receive the cards.

He also said that 51,300 tonnes of rice have arrived in the Cumilla-4 constituency under the Kabikha (Work Exchange Food) programme for 10 rural infrastructure renovation projects.

In addition, he highlighted initiatives to excavate two canals and organise training programmes for young and women entrepreneurs during the live broadcast.