Investigation Reveals Widespread Embezzlement of Government Development Funds in Jessore
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In Jashore’s Abhaynagar Upazila, authorities allocated 200,000 BDT for the renovation of a school that does not exist. The funds, disbursed under the government’s Annual Development Program (ADP) for the 2025-26 fiscal year, were withdrawn in full on April 20 following the change in government administration.
The project was officially registered under the name “Siddipasha Bhairab Kindergarten School.” However, a field investigation revealed that no such institution exists within Siddipasha Union or the broader Abhaynagar Upazila. Local education officials confirmed that the school is not recorded in their institutional database.
The project was implemented via a Project Implementation Committee (PIC), a mechanism typically used for small-scale local developments that bypasses the formal tender process. Sheikh Abul Kashem, the Chairman of the Siddipasha Union Parishad who served as the project president, insisted that the school exists, though he deferred questions regarding its verification to project engineers.
Abhaynagar Upazila Nirbahi Officer (UNO) Sheikh Salauddin admitted that a site visit on July 11 confirmed the non-existence of the school named in the documents. He claimed that funds were instead diverted to an institution called “Siddipasha Bhairab Adarsha Shishu Bidyalay.” However, the director of the latter, Daud Hossain, stated that his school operates entirely on private funding and student fees, having never received government grants. He noted that officials recently approached the school to install minimal infrastructure, including window grills, in an apparent attempt to justify the previously withdrawn funds.
This instance is part of a broader pattern of irregularities involving PIC-led projects in Abhaynagar. During the 2025-26 fiscal year, 117 projects were executed through PICs, while 106 were handled via formal tenders. Independent inspections of several PIC sites showed that many projects were either non-existent or remained incomplete despite the full withdrawal of funds.
For instance, 80,000 BDT allocated for brick soling a road in Siddipasha village remained unspent, with local residents reporting that no new construction had occurred in years. Similar discrepancies were found in Payra and Prembag unions, where drainage and infrastructure projects were marked as complete on paper—and funds withdrawn—despite no physical evidence of construction. In one case in Prembag, a project meant for impoverished families saw tube wells diverted to the family members of local union representatives.
Former Abhaynagar Upazila LGED engineer Md. Najmul Huda, who was responsible for the projects, did not respond to multiple requests for comment. Meanwhile, Iqbal Kabir Zahid, advisor to the Bhabadaha Water Drainage Struggle Committee, stated that the lack of public oversight in PIC projects facilitates widespread corruption, allowing public funds to be misappropriated with little accountability.
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