Sylhet Deputy Commissioner (DC) and District Magistrate Md. Sarwar Alam has been withdrawn from his duties and attached to the Ministry of Public Administration. The decision was announced in a notification by the Ministry of Public Administration on Sunday.
The order, signed by Senior Assistant Secretary Jeti Pru, said that Sarwar Alam has been withdrawn from the post of Deputy Commissioner of Sylhet and attached to the Ministry of Public Administration as Deputy Secretary. The order, issued in the public interest, will come into effect immediately.
However, the government order did not mention any specific reason for his transfer. As a result, various discussions have started regarding this decision in administrative circles and at the local level.
Recently, Sarwar Alam came into the spotlight after taking several steps to ensure transparency in the income and expenditure of Hazrat Shahjalal (RA) and Shahparan (RA) shrines in Sylhet. Under his initiative, several degs (donation collection containers) of the shrine were sealed, new donation boxes were installed, and CCTV cameras were installed to monitor donation management.
The district administration has also taken the initiative to review the financial transactions and accounts of the shrine’s donations. Although there have been various questions and discussions locally about the management of donations and charity funds for a long time, this is the first time that the issue has come to the fore with any seriousness from an administrative perspective.
Sources said that during the implementation of a development project, questions arose about the transparency of the shrine’s income and expenditure. Later, in a meeting held by the district administration, when the shrine authorities were asked for financial accounts, it was learned that they were unable to present satisfactory information.
While a section of the general public in Sylhet viewed the initiative to bring transparency in the management of the shrine as positive, another section opposed the move. In such a situation, the order to withdraw DC Sarwar Alam was issued.