Adviser Accused of Misplacing Project Files – Claims Chattogram City Mayor

The Mayor of Chattogram City Corporation (CCC), Dr Shahadat Hossain, has levelled serious allegations against the Adviser to the Ministry of Local Government, Rural Development and Cooperatives (LGRD), Asif Mahmud Sajib Bhuiyan.

According to the Mayor, vital project files belonging to the LGRD Ministry were taken home by the Adviser and were never returned, effectively stalling important development initiatives.

The accusation was made on Monday at the Chittagong Independent University (CIU) campus in Jamal Khan, during the inauguration of a Cleanliness Awareness Campaign.

The event featured several dignitaries:

• Chief Guest: Fayez Ahmed Tayyab, Special Assistant to the Chief Adviser in charge of the Ministry of Posts, Telecommunications and Information Technology.
• Concept Paper Presentation: Dr Mosleh Uddin Chowdhury Khaled, Professor, CIU Business School, on the topic of urban cleanliness.
• Chair: Professor Dr M. M. Nurul Absar, Vice-Chancellor of CIU.

Mayor Shahadat expressed frustration, stating:“We currently have three projects pending with the LGRD Ministry. The Adviser reviewed the files, took them home, and they have not been returned since. No signatures were given.”

He added that the lack of ministerial support had forced the city to scale down international projects:

• UK, Japan, and Korea-backed initiatives could not progress due to administrative obstacles.
• The allocated budget shrank from Tk 400 crore to Tk 298 crore.
• The government failed to supply essential equipment to CCC despite its service-oriented responsibilities.

Highlighting Chattogram’s most pressing crisis, Shahadat noted:“Waterlogging remains a major problem. I have repeatedly informed the Adviser. He said waterlogging must first be resolved. I have achieved 50–60% progress, yet essential machinery has not been provided.”

In response to the Mayor’s remarks, Fayez Ahmed Tayyab, Special Assistant to the Chief Adviser, clarified:

“All ministries negotiate budgets with the Finance Ministry. Although allocations have decreased due to inflation, work should commence with the available funds. This year significant progress has been made in addressing waterlogging.”

The programme was also attended by prominent personalities who contributed their views on urban development and civic challenges:

The event concluded with calls for enhanced cooperation between local government institutions and the ministries to ensure effective delivery of urban services.