Tender transparency in Kushtia Post Office Controversy, government revenue evasion

There have been widespread questions about the transparency and accountability of the tender process for the sale of old and ineffective goods at the Kushtia Main Post Office. Local businessmen have alleged that tenders have been invited on a limited scale without publishing a notice in any national or local newspaper and without effective publicity. They claim that this has deprived many potential bidders of the opportunity to participate and has also hampered the competitive tender process. In the meantime, a new controversy has also arisen over the existence of the organization that has received the work order.

A visit to the Kushtia Main Post Office revealed that a small resale notice was pasted on a wall inside the building. It is alleged that the notice was posted in a place that is unlikely to be visible to the general public. According to the notice, the resale notice signed on July 5, 2026, gave only seven days to submit the tender by 1 pm on July 12.

Several local bhangari traders said that they were not aware of the tender call. They lost the opportunity to participate as there was no notice published in any newspaper or any other effective campaign. According to them, if open competition is not ensured, the government also risks being deprived of the real market price.

Meanwhile, new questions have arisen about the identity of the organization that received the work order. The relevant documents contain information that the work order was given in favor of an organization named "Mamun Bhangari Store, Baro Bazar, Kushtia". However, local traders and locals claimed that no known or registered bhangari shop with this name could be found in the Baro Bazar area during the search.

When contacted on the mobile number given in the tender, a person named Mamun Mia said that he did not have any bhangari shop or registered business establishment. However, he admitted that he had used the name "Mamun Bhangari Store" to participate in the tender. After this statement, more questions have been raised about the transparency of the entire tender process.

The resale notice states that old, damaged, worn-out, unnecessary and ineffective goods of various categories of Kushtia Main Post Office—such as letter boxes, pipes, grills, angles, bicycles, corrugated iron, MS pipes and other iron and tin items—will be sold at the price per kg from where they are. However, locals allege that in reality, along with these items, other equipment such as 37 pitch ceiling fans, 16 pitch UPSs and 8 computer monitors have also been sold. Questions have also been raised about whether these goods were listed in the tender or not. There are further allegations that even after the contractor took possession of the goods, the signatures of the chairman of the tender invitation committee Md. Ohidur Rahman and member Shahabuddin were not on the "list of old, unusable and ineffective goods sold" of the Kushtia Main Post Office until July 30. Locals have also demanded an investigation into whether the goods were handed over without completing the necessary documents.

A local scrap dealer claims that the market value of the goods sold could be around three lakh taka. However, no independent verification of this valuation has been possible.

In this regard, Abul Kalam Asad, Postmaster (First Class) of Kushtia Main Post Office, said that the resale notice was not published in any newspaper. Notices were only posted on the walls of a few post offices in the city.

Mohammad Ohidur Rahman, Chairman of the Tender Invitation Committee, said that we did not have any allocation for publicity. The government does not have any specific policy regarding inviting tenders for the sale of old goods. Therefore, the opportunity for the common people to participate was given on the basis of the national identity card. They did not consider any other document necessary here.

Meanwhile, according to experts in government asset management, it is the fundamental responsibility of the administration to ensure transparency, open competition, equal opportunities and the highest financial interests of the government in the sale of government assets. The notice should be published in such a way that the maximum number of interested people get the opportunity to participate. Otherwise, competition will be limited and the government will face financial losses.

Local businessmen and conscious citizens have demanded an impartial investigation into the matter as various questions and complaints have been raised surrounding the entire tender process. According to them, the real identity of the organization that received the work order, the method of inviting tenders, the list of goods sold, the pricing and the accuracy of the documents will reveal the true picture of the entire incident.