Staff Correspondent

Defying ministry directives and institutional regulations, the Chief Engineer of the Local Government Engineering Department (LGED) has reportedly appointed an accused in an Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) graft case to a high-profile development project.

LGED Chief Engineer Md. Belal Hossain handed over the "additional charge" of Project Director (PD) for the 'Gazipur District Rural Infrastructure Development Project' to Bachchu Miah, the former Executive Engineer of LGED's Dhaka district office.

The controversial appointment was made through a discreet office order issued on June 22, bypassing the explicit disapproval of the ministry's project director selection committee and sparking widespread resentment within the department.

Investigative reports reveal that during his tenure as the Executive Engineer of Dhaka district, serious allegations of corruption surfaced against Bachchu Miah. In October 2025, the ACC filed a case against him, alongside executive engineer Saber Ali and Sub-Assistant Engineer Shams Javed, for allegedly embezzling approximately Tk 1.22 crore from the Gabtoli Government Primary School building construction project. Following the graft case, Bachchu Miah was withdrawn from his post and attached to the LGED headquarters as an Officer on Special Duty (OSD), while the judicial process remains ongoing.

Sources revealed that despite being sidelined, Bachchu Miah heavily lobbied for a plum posting. Around three months ago, Chief Engineer Belal Hossain forwarded a proposal to the Local Government Ministry to appoint Bachchu Miah as the Gazipur project's regular PD.

However, the ministry’s selection committee unanimously rejected his name due to the active corruption case. Undeterred, the Chief Engineer pushed his name again, leading to a viva-voce examination at the ministry on February 18, 2026.

An anonymous member of the interview board stated that committee members expressed deep astonishment at Bachchu Miah’s repeated nominations and explicitly ruled that an ACC-accused official should not head any multi-crore project until cleared of all charges. The Chief Engineer reportedly failed to provide a satisfactory explanation during that meeting.

Failing to secure regular ministerial approval for Bachchu Miah, Chief Engineer Belal Hossain allegedly opted for an administrative loophole.

Utilizing his individual administrative powers, he issued an internal office order on June 22, 2026, granting Bachchu Miah the "additional charge" of the project director position. This maneuver effectively kept the ministry completely in the dark, as regular PD appointments strictly require ministerial clearance, while additional charges can be managed internally by the department head.

This is not the first time the LGED administration has attempted to reward controversial figures associated with this specific graft case. Previously, Bachchu Miah's co-accused, Md. Saber Ali, was posted as the Executive Engineer of Mymensingh district. Following a sweeping national newspaper exposé regarding the matter, the issue caught the attention of the Honorable Prime Minister.

The Prime Minister promptly directed the Minister for Local Government, Rural Development and Co-operatives, Fakrul Islam Alamgir, to investigate the matter thoroughly, which subsequently forced the authorities to cancel Saber Ali’s transfer order.

Sectors concerned have expressed shock that the Chief Engineer has secretly handed over a multi-crore development project to the prime accused in the same ACC case, directly undermining the Prime Minister's anti-corruption stance and the Local Government Minister's oversight.

Attempts were made to contact LGED Chief Engineer Md. Belal Hossain on his mobile phone for comments regarding the controversial appointment, but he could not be reached.