Dhaka South City Corporation (DSCC) allocated Tk 27 crore work order in a single package to the controversial contractor Khaled Mahmud Bhuiyan's firm Bhuiyan & Bhuiyan.
Khaled Mahmud, who has been expelled from Jubo League after he was found involved in the illegal casino business.
Mominul Hoque Sayeed Ward Councillor of Ward 9 of Motijheel told the Daily Observer that DSCC Mayor Sayeed Khokon allocated the work to the controversial contractor Khaled Mahmud Bhuiyan.
Councillor Sayeed said, "Mayor Khokon took exception to my raising questions about allocating Tk 27 crore work order in a single package to the construction firm Bhuiyan & Bhuiyan."
"If the Councillor of the area is responsible for the casino business than the Mayor of DNCC should also be held responsible for the crime at the Motijheel club area," Sayeed added.
The construction firm, Bhuiyan & Bhuiyan, owned by the expelled Jubo League leader Khaled Mahmud Bhuiyan had bagged a total of Tk 200 crore worth of work orders of DSCC in the last two years.
Khaled Mahmud and one other Jubo League leader, Ismail Hossain Chowdhury Samrat, of Dhaka South are involved in manipulating tenders of DSCC, it was learnt. Earlier, Nurunnobi Chowdhury Shawon, MP, and his associates controlled tenders of undivided Nagar Bhaban.
After the entry of the infiltrator Jubo League leader, Khaled Mahmud Bhuiyan, in the DSCC, Nurunnobi, MP, lost his control over the tender business of DSCC, intelligence sources said.
During interrogation Khaled Mahmud confessed to the interrogators that he managed tenders allocation by paying commission to the authority concerned.
Khaled Mahmud provided vital information during interrogation about why and how he managed the tenders. Intelligence agency is now securitizing all information.
Bhuiyan & Bhuiyan is engaged in a Tk 27 crore development work in the commercial hub Motijheel having secured a single package work order from the DSCC.
A senior official of the investigation agency told this correspondent that during interrogation, Khaled Mahmud Bhuiyan confessed to the investigators that he managed DSCC tenders by bribing the authority concerned.
Khaled was well known for his method of paying commission in cash, according to the intelligence agency.
According to the locals, Khaled was known in Motijheel area as a criminal and an associate of Freedom Party leaders Syed Nazmul Maksud alias Murad and Jafor Ahmed alias Manik.
Through their growing influence in the area, Manik and Murad became rivals of BNP leader Mirza Abbas and were listed as 'top criminals' during the rule of the BNP-Jamaat coalition.
But Khaled took control of the area after the Awami League formed government. His influence began to spread to the nearby areas, including Kamalapur, Basabo, Khilgaon and Motijheel.
Freedom Party cadre and Jubo Dal leaders bought position of organising secretary of Jubo League South when the committee was announced in 2013.
Khaled was also accused of attempting to kill Sheikh Hasina, now the Prime Minister, at 32, Dhanmondi in 1989, but mysteriously his name was dropped from the case. Khaled was known as the second-in-command to notorious Freedom Manik.
Khaled Mahmud is now in police custody in connection with cases against him under Arms Act and Narcotic Control Act.
Mayor Khokon on Thursday had taken time from this correspondent to provide information about the allocation to Khaled Mahmud Bhuiyan's construction firm Bhuiyan & Bhuiyan after taking all relevant information from the DSCC engineer. But when this correspondent on Sunday called DSCC Mayor Khokon he did neither receive the phone calls nor called back the Daily Observer.
