Five public works engineers accused of negligenceSound system worth '4.78 crore taka' in Parliament out of order, sound outage in headphones

A technical glitch occurred during the inaugural session of the country's highest legislature, the National Assembly. The new sound system and headphone system, purchased at a cost of about 47.8 million taka, had a serious defect. The microphone did not work during the session, the speaker had to use a hand microphone and members of parliament complained that the use of low-quality headphones caused pain from the ears to the head.

During the first session of the 13th National Parliament, a sudden mechanical failure occurred in the sound system. The newly elected Speaker Hafiz Uddin Ahmed, while delivering his speech, found that the microphone was not working. Despite several attempts, the sound could not be heard.

At one stage, he was forced to use a hand microphone. At that time, the Speaker said, "Due to mechanical problems, the speech is not being heard properly. Everyone needs to be patient."

To deal with the situation, he adjourned the session for 20 minutes. Although the session resumed after the break, the sound failure continued for some time. Such a situation in an important place like the Parliament created an embarrassing situation among the members of the Parliament present.

After this incident, the initial investigation revealed allegations of negligence and irregularities by five engineers of the Public Works Department. At the same time, the question has been raised - why such a disaster occurred even after implementing a project worth crores of taka in an important establishment like the Parliament.

Headphones cause pain from ears to head: MPs complain

First, Dhaka-14 MP Mir Ahmed Bin Kashem (Barrister Arman) expressed strong dissatisfaction with the quality of headphones provided in Parliament.

In his verified Facebook post last Thursday, he wrote, "The quality of the headphones provided in Parliament is so poor that using them has started to cause pain from the ears to the head. The sound quality is also very poor."

He also claimed that the older devices in Parliament probably provided clearer audio. This issue disappointed him, said Barrister Arman.

His comments quickly spread on social media and many people raised questions about the issue. Analysts believe that if the quality of equipment purchased at a cost of crores of taka is like this, then it also raises questions about the proper use of government money.

On the other hand, Jamaat-e-Islami senior MP Shahjahan Chowdhury expressed his anger and said, "It seems like a budget was made for headphones, and the looting forces made this arrangement to eat a bill from there. If we were given a simple headphone to make the sound system beautiful, we would be able to hear. But there is no need for such a big burden. I would be happy if the sound system of the parliament was modernized in addition to headphones."

He made these remarks while participating in an unscheduled (point of order) discussion in the National Parliament on March 15 (Tuesday).

Speaker Hafiz Uddin Ahmed Bir Bikram was presiding over the session. Addressing the Speaker, he further said, 'We have come to Parliament twice, you have also come. But it is becoming difficult for everyone to sit for one or two hours with such a big load (showing headphones) on their heads.'

Additionally, during the session, several other MPs complained that the headphones they were using were not working properly. The speaker's mic was also off!

Five engineers charged with embezzlement in goods purchase

Five engineers of the Public Works Department are in charge of the sound system, electrical system and maintenance of the Parliament Building—Additional Chief Engineer (E/M) Md. Ashraful Haque, Supervising Engineer Mahbubul Haque Chowdhury, Executive Engineer of Public Works EM Division-7 Md. Anwar Hossain, Sub-Divisional Engineer Asifur Rahman and Sub-Assistant Engineer Shamsul Islam.

According to sources in the Public Works Department, there is a rule to conduct intensive testing for at least 10 to 12 days before the sound system is put into operation in important establishments like the Parliament session. But this time, questions have also been raised about whether that process was followed properly. It is alleged that these engineers supervised the entire process of purchasing and installing the sound system.

The name of Additional Chief Engineer Md. Ashraful Haque has been the most discussed in this incident. Because in 2018, when he was on duty as Executive Engineer, there was a technical disaster in the Parliament Building. The power was cut off in the Parliament Building for about 45 minutes during the session. This issue was widely criticized at that time. But even after such a big incident, there are allegations that no visible strict administrative action was taken against him.

On the other hand, Executive Engineer Md. Anwar Hossain, in violation of the Chief Engineer's notification, invited tenders for APP work through the OTM method instead of the LTM method, and embezzled crores by awarding the work to preferred contractors including Amanat Enterprise. In addition, he invited tenders for 70 percent of the predetermined work in the Parliament Building area in the 2025-26 fiscal year through the OTM method, which is completely illegal.

With the recurrence of incidents like power outages and sound outages in an important government institution like the Parliament building, the question naturally arises - why is there no proper supervision and effective action being taken against the officials involved in the incident despite the same problems occurring again and again? However, according to relevant sources, a complaint has been filed with the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) from the Parliament Secretariat for a proper investigation into the incident. In the meantime, it is learnt that a relevant department of the ACC is starting a preliminary investigation into the matter.

Administrative sources say that the technical management of the Parliament building has been plagued by various problems for a long time. It is often seen that administrative influence is given more importance than the necessary technical skills. As a result, many decisions are made based on other considerations rather than the distribution of responsibilities based on actual qualifications. As a result, various errors occur during the implementation of major projects.

Work for an inexperienced contractor!

Initial investigations revealed that the sound system of the Parliament building was commissioned in February 2022 and was used for only two years and six months. The normal service life of this system, manufactured by the US company 'Sure', is estimated to be 10 years. Earlier, the sound system was supplied by Communication Technology Limited.

The aforementioned sound system of the Plenary Hall was damaged during the student uprising on August 5, 2024, when protesters attacked the National Assembly building. Communication Technology Limited brought in an expert engineer to inspect the system to repair the damaged sound system. But this company was mysteriously excluded.

Later, the work of installing headphones and gooseneck microphones in the Parliament building was done by a company called 'Amanat Enterprise'. It was found that this company had no experience working in the Parliament building before. However, the work was given to this new contractor, excluding the company 'Communication Technology Limited', which had been working on the Parliament's audio system for a long time.

When contacted about this matter, the company's Chief Executive Engineer, Zahidur Rahman Joarder, said, "We had tested the system with foreign experts and submitted a complete report. But we were strategically left out and the work was given to another company."

Despite repeated calls to Amanat Enterprises' head Dulal Mia to discuss this issue, he did not respond.

Naturally, the question now arises, on what basis and with what qualifications did Amanat Enterprises get the responsibility of this work, given that the company has no experience of working on such a crucial facility as the Parliament Building in the past. Does the quality of the equipment supplied by them meet international standards and was there proper technical verification before supplying the equipment?

According to conscious citizens, everyone involved in the process from the tendering process to the completion of the sound system supply should be held accountable. Many believe that such a situation could not have arisen if proper technical evaluation and competitive processes had been followed.

Crores of taka worth of scam, no one is willing to take responsibility

According to sources, the Public Works Department is responsible for looking after the technical aspects of the National Parliament Building. Before the start of the first session of the 13th National Parliament, the Public Works Department initially proposed a project of Tk 23 crore for the installation of AC, lighting, microphone and audio systems in the Parliament Building. However, after scrutiny, Tk 12 crore was allocated for this project. Lars Videkam, founder and group CEO of Singapore-based P-Recess Communications, was appointed as the expert consultant for this project. He is an expert with more than 20 years of experience in strategic communications.

According to the project consultant's proposal, it is possible to start the sound system without changing the entire sound system of the Parliament Building and only by restoring the looted parts. If the sound system is to be restored without repairing, lightweight and conference-friendly headphones will have to be added. However, the authorities concerned did not take into account this suggestion of a renowned expert like Lars Videkam. 

According to sources, about 450 million taka was spent on installing headphones and gooseneck microphones in the Parliament building. Each gooseneck microphone costs 55 to 60 thousand taka and the headphones cost about 4 to 5 thousand taka. Like in the past, this time too, headphones and gooseneck microphones made by the popular US audio brand 'Sure' were installed in the Parliament.

According to experts, the unfortunate incident of sound disruption in the Parliament building occurred due to the work being done by an inexperienced contractor. They could not install the headphones and gooseneck microphones properly. Due to their negligence, the MPs have suffered discomfort in just two days of the session. As a result, all the headphones will have to be changed now. Preparations have been made to take action accordingly. This will cost the state half a crore rupees.

Meanwhile, several officials of the Public Works Department have admitted to giving work to inexperienced companies. However, no one is willing to take responsibility for this unfortunate incident. When asked about this, Chief Engineer of the Public Works Department Md. Khalequzzaman Chowdhury said, "I have heard that the headphones and microphone did not work. But I do not know the details. The Additional Chief Engineer knows about this. He is the one who can best say why such an incident happened."

The executive engineer of the Public Works Department (in charge of parliament) did not answer the phone even though he was called several times to discuss the matter. On the other hand, the secretary of the parliament secretariat, Kaniz Maula, directly said, "This is not my responsibility. So I will not comment on this matter."

Traveling abroad in the name of training?

Amidst this debate, another incident has come into the spotlight. Some of the officials who were accused of technical errors in Parliament are now traveling to the United States under the guise of technical training.

According to relevant sources, eight officials are going to the United States for a five-day training on air-conditioning system maintenance. They are, Additional Chief Engineer Md. Ashraful Haque, Deputy Secretary Md. Nazmul Alam, Additional Chief Engineer Kazi Md. Firoz Hasan, Project Director Dr. Md. Toufiq Hasan Firoz, Supervising Engineer Md. Ashraful Islam, Executive Engineer Md. Raju Ahmed, Executive Architect Siddika Nasrin Sultana and Sub-Divisional Engineer Risalat Bari.

Deputy Secretary Md. Nazmul Alam said, "A contracting company named 'Dunham-Bush' will bear all the expenses of this trip. They are going abroad with their money. The Bangladesh government has no financial involvement in this."

According to information obtained through a special investigation by The Finance Today, Ashraful Haque, the additional chief engineer in charge of the maintenance of the Parliament building, is scheduled to retire in a few months. But despite being on the verge of retirement, he is going to participate in technical training abroad.

The subject of this training is the maintenance of HVAC or heating, ventilation and air conditioning systems. Usually, this type of training is more applicable to field-level engineers or technicians. But in reality, it is seen that administrative cadre officials and officials on the verge of retirement are also participating in this training. As a result, many are raising questions - is this training being given on the basis of need, or is it just being used as an opportunity for foreign trips. 

Conflict of interest: TIB

On this issue, Transparency International Bangladesh Executive Director Iftekharuzzaman said, "The culture of government officials going abroad with the money of private organizations is a long-standing bureaucratic problem. This creates a conflict of interest and creates a situation that conflicts with government procurement policies. And the foreign travel of officials of an important government organization like the Public Works Department with the money of a contracting organization is against ethics."

According to him, nowadays it is possible to learn a lot of technical information online. But in many cases, these trips become more of an opportunity to travel abroad than actual training. They even involve matters of interest.

Questions from the conscious community

The incident of a new sound system worth crores of taka in an important institution like the National Assembly breaking down in the first session has generated widespread discussion and criticism among the administrative circles, the political arena, and the general public. Many see such a technical disaster in an important institution like the National Assembly as a major failure of state management.

According to the concerned quarters, despite installing a sound system worth crores of rupees, the microphone did not work during the inaugural session, there were complaints about headphones, and the session was adjourned - why did such a situation arise?

The question for the conscious community is - is this just a technical error, or the result of commission-based contracting and administrative mismanagement? Or is it a well-crafted evil plan?

Experts say that technical management in important facilities like the Parliament Building is a very sensitive issue. Even a small mistake here can cause major problems. Therefore, the highest level of professionalism is required in everything from the installation of each equipment to its operation. But looking at recent events, it seems that there is a lack of that professionalism.

Meanwhile, after this incident, discussions have also started within the Public Works Department on the matter. Many believe that it is necessary to uncover the real cause through an investigation. At the same time, it is also important to determine the responsibility of those involved and take necessary administrative measures. Otherwise, there will be a risk of such incidents happening in the future.

According to political analysts, the National Parliament is the highest law-making institution of the country. The technical standard of such an important infrastructure should be of international standard. Because the people of the country and the international community are watching every activity of the parliament. Technical failure in such an important place not only reveals administrative weaknesses, but also raises questions about the overall quality of state management.

Many believe that this incident cannot be seen as just a technical glitch. If there is any negligence, corruption or mismanagement behind this, then it needs to be investigated. At the same time, there have been demands from various quarters to ensure stricter supervision and accountability in technical management so that such incidents do not happen again in the future.