Mobarakganj Sugar Mills Limited (MKSM), the lone state owned sugar mills in Jhenaidah, formed a five-member probe committee to investigate the shortage of 20 to 25 liters in each of the 56 lubricant barrels, procured with Tk 41 lakh for the production season 2020-21.
The Managing Director of the mills formed the probe committee making Manager (Accounts) Jahidul Islam, Deputy Manager (Transport Engineering) Raisul Islam, Deputy Manager (Establishments) Ashequzzaman, Deputy Manager (Production) Jakir Hossain and Assistant Manager (Machineries Technology) Sadhan Kumar Mandal members.
The committee was advised to submit their report within 10 working days, sources said.
Authorities informed that 56 barrels containing 11,370 liters of lubricant was procured from Jamuna Oil Company Limited at Khulna at a cost of Tk 41 lakh. However, neither Mobarakganj Sugar Mills limited nor Jamuna Oil Company took responsibility for the shortage of about 1,400 liters of lubricant. Price of each liter was fixed at Tk 250 to 610. A TLR of the mills named Masud Rana was in charge of the procurement.
The mills authorities and the probe committee primarily assuming that the lubricants might have been drained out during transportation from Khulna to the mills storage. However, they restrained from disclosing any further information until the investigation report was submitted.
Mills sources anonymously said that there are two committees in procurement of any items from the suppliers. One of the committees procures the item, while another receives the same as per schedule or contract. However, they could not understand how the barrels of lubricant entered the mills storage without being checked properly.
When contacted, Acting Managing Director of Mobarakganj Sugar Mills Limited Anwar Hossain admitted about the shortage of procured lubricants. He said they had formed the probe committee to go in to the misuse of the procured items. The guilty person or official might be legally punished when the actual picture is cleared.
He added the mills authority has been always active against any sort of corruption and no corruption and irregularities will be entertained in anyway here.
Earlier, a man involved in stealing oil from a tractor of the mills as well as Centre In-Charge Raihan Uddin and Cane Development Assistant Kamal Hossain involved in purchasing dried sugarcanes were suspended immediately, said the Acting Managing Director.
It may be mentioned that when the government has already shut down six sate owned sugar mills throughout the country and thinking of shutting more mills, the authorities of Mobarakganj Sugar Mills have produced 5.30 per cent sugar in 20 working days of the current season, which was 4.85 per cent last season. The authorities have been trying their utmost to recover the loss partially to save the mills from shutting down at any time.
