Tenants in Rangpur postal quarters: flats allotted in officials' names, occupied by outsiders

In the Dhap area of Rangpur city, tenants and sublet occupants are living in the Department of Posts' postal staff quarters instead of the officials to whom the flats were allotted, in defiance of government directions. Tenants were found in 6 of the 15 flats in three quarters.

The Directorate of Government Housing recently said in a public notice that a government employee who has been allotted a residence must live in the house allotted in his or her own name. A flat or room must not be rented or sublet to anyone else. The notice also directed that tenants and sublet occupants be removed by October 31. It said that if a tenant was found in any flat after that, the allotment would be cancelled and disciplinary and legal action would be taken against the official concerned.

But at the postal staff quarters of the Department of Posts in Rangpur, others were found living in the flats instead of the allottees, even after the government direction. The office concerned recently took undertakings from the allottees stating that there were no tenants in their homes.

There are five postal quarters of the Department of Posts in the city's Dhap area. Two of them are abandoned. The remaining three include a four-storey and a three-storey building with a total of 15 flats. Enquiries found that 6 of these flats have been rented out to outsiders. In addition, others are living in some flats instead of the allottees, and some rooms in some flats have been sublet.

On a visit last Thursday afternoon, tenants were found in 4 of the 8 flats in the four-storey quarter. In the neighbouring three-storey building, 1 of the 6 flats had a tenant and 2 flats had people living as sublet occupants. Local residents said a tenant also lives in 1 flat of another quarter nearby.

A flat on the third floor of the four-storey quarter has been allotted in the name of Shariful Islam, a postman at the Syedpur upazila post office in Nilphamari. But schoolteacher Afroza Khatun Baby lives there.

Another flat on the same floor has been allotted in the name of Touhidul Islam, an operator at the Rangpur head post office. Lovely Begum lives there. She said: "I have no husband. Although the flat is allotted in Touhidul's name, I live here. I pay him the government rent that is deducted." When Touhidul was called on his mobile phone, he cut the call saying he was busy.

A flat on the fourth floor of the same building is allotted in the name of Lutfor Habib Rana, a packer-cum-mail carrier at the Rangpur head post office. He has rented the flat to a man named Jahangir. When Lutfor was called on his mobile phone, he said: "I am busy. I will talk about this later."

Another flat on the same floor is allotted in the name of Johir Uddin, an office assistant at the Rangpur divisional post office. Sumaiya Akter Shimu lives there. Speaking to her husband Moinul Islam, he said: "Johir Bhai works at the post office. He does not live here. We live here." When asked about it, Johir said: "This was my mistake. Now I will ask them to leave from there."

A ground-floor flat of the neighbouring three-storey quarter has been allotted in the name of Md Sabuj Ahmed Sabur, a stenographer-cum-computer operator at Postal Life Insurance, Rangpur. Fazlul Haq lives there with his family. Fazlul said: "I live on rent. I pay six thousand taka a month as rent." Admitting his mistake, Sabuj Ahmed said: "I have told them to leave. They will leave when they find a house."

Several allottees admitted that keeping tenants was a mistake. Some of them also said they had told the tenants to leave.

Asked about tenants living in the postal quarters, Israt Jahan Noor, Deputy Postmaster General of the Rangpur divisional office, said: "We sent letters some time ago. Until last Wednesday and Thursday, we took undertakings from everyone that there are no tenants in their homes. Now I will have to cross-check. Action will have to be taken accordingly. Whatever action is due under the government rules will be taken."

Asked whether she had verified on site whether tenants live in the quarters, Israt Jahan said: "As for going to the quarters, I regularly visit the MPC. I cannot really say whether there are tenants inside the quarters in that way."

Md Anwar Hossain, Additional Postmaster General of the northern region, Rajshahi, said: "If there are tenants even after giving undertakings, strict action will be taken. This is completely illegal."

The matter of tenants living in the quarters even after the government direction and the undertakings now awaits verification by the authorities and action under the government rules.