Action against officials of 30 multipurpose cooperative societies including Destiny was underway in connection with money embezzlement, State Minister for LGRD Mashiur Rahaman Ranga told the House yesterday.

 

Replying to a lawmaker’s query during a question-answer session, Ranga on behalf of LGRD and Cooperatives Minister Syed Ashraful Islam said investigation against the multipurpose cooperative societies had already completed.

“In line with the investigation report, the process of taking actions against staff and officials of the cooperative societies is now underway,” he added. He also placed a list of the 30 multipurpose societies that allegedly embezzled money from the people.

Replying to a supplementary question, the state minister said clients of Destiny would get back their money.

“They [clients] will get back the money one day. The money was not siphoned off anywhere yet. Its property is now under our watch,” he added.

In response to another lawmaker’s question, Ranga said polls to the Dhaka city corporations — North and South — would be held after resolving demarcation complexities.

Replying to another question, the LGRD minister in written informed the House that high levels of arsenic [more than 50 ppb] were found in 29 percent of the deep tube-wells tested in the country’s 271 upazilas.

“Water of 50 lakh deep tube-wells in 271 upazilas was tested. Excessive arsenic contamination [over 50 ppb] was found in 29 percent or 14.5 lakh deep tube-wells,” he added.

The government was conducting tests in 32 arsenic-prone areas in the country and the tests would be completed by 2016, he added. Destiny-store offers more game information.