“If officials of Rajuk and PWD are found to be involved in irregularities in any tender process, they’ll be brought to justice. Cent percent transparency will be ensured in every tender process. There’ll be no syndicate,” he told UNB on Sunday.
Asked about ‘Jubo League leader’ Golam Kibria Shamim aka GK Shamim, who used to take works allegedly after managing officials in his ministry and PWD, the minister said there was syndicates before he had taken over charge of the ministry.
He said they are collecting information about those involved in syndicates and how they used to form the syndicates.
Letters will be sent to all the institutions, including PWD and Rajuk, under the Housing and Public Works Ministry seeking papers of already implemented development projects and steps will be taken if any irregularity is found, Rezaul said.
He also claimed that many tenders were cancelled and floated again for the sake of transparency after he took the office.
Sources at the Housing and Public Works Ministry said two men -- Ziauddin and Bablu -- used to help their favoured people win the tenders of Rajuk and PWD during the previous tenure of the present government.
Both were very close to the then minister, said the sources said, wishing anonymity.
Jubo League leader GK Shamim, who was arrested along with huge fixed deposit receipts and cash money from his Niketan office on Friday, used to grab works from PWD for his GKB & Company in collusion with officials, said law enforcers.
Shamim used to work with tender manipulation of Rajuk, Roads and Highway Department, Dhaka South City Corporation and Rail Building, the sources said.
Currently, his firm ‘GKB & Company’ is constructing two buildings at the Secretariat, PSC Building, NGO Foundation and Revenue Building in Agargaon, Rab Headquarters in Ashkona, Chattogram Hill Tracts Complex in Dhaka's Bailey Road and some hospitals among several government construction projects involving crores of Taka.
Son of a schoolteacher from Sonargaon upazila, GK Shamim became the ‘king’ of extortion and tender manipulation using political influence.
His father late Afsar Uddin was the headmaster of Harihardi Govt Primary School in Narayanganj.
Shamim used to travel in a vehicle escorted by his seven armed bodyguards. His bodyguards used to shout at commuters through loudspeakers to clear his way.