Some recent reports in popular newspapers in Bangladesh highlight significant challenges in the country’s digital and physical infrastructures. The Daily Star has covered the issue of weight tampering at Benapole port, while The Financial Express has provided insights into the abuse of online land services. These reports offer valuable insights into the complex issues that the nation faces in its development efforts.
Digital Land Services: A Promise Undermined by Misuse
The Financial Express has published a report on the challenges online land services face in Bangladesh. Despite the government’s efforts to digitize the land management process, the e-Namjari (e-mutation) system, officially launched in 2017 and aimed at simplifying land registration and tax payments, has been plagued by corruption and rent-seeking behaviour. The article highlights the discrepancies between the intended purpose of the system and the reality of its execution. This reflects a deeper issue in governance and public service delivery, which requires systemic reforms and effective implementation strategies. The report emphasizes the need for a more transparent and efficient system to deliver the benefits of digital innovation to the public. Here is the link to the news article published in the Financial Express –
Benapole Port Scandal: A Tale of Corruption and Impunity
The Daily Star recently investigated weight tampering at Benapole port in Bangladesh. The investigation has uncovered a disturbing corruption case, where scammers manipulate the port’s logistic operations to cause significant financial losses with impunity. These fraudulent activities erode trust in the country’s trade and commerce systems, indicating a lack of accountability and effective oversight in this critical economic hub. The weight measurement system’s lack of accountability and effective oversight is particularly concerning, requiring immediate attention from experts to prevent further damage to the port’s reputation and ensure its proper functioning. It’s interesting to note that the scammers misused their knowledge of the computerised system regarding the weight machine. The main article explored how the scam was done –
“It all began in 2020 when an automated system was introduced after three years of piloting to bring pace in the port activities.
The computerised system was connected to the weighbridge scales, which measure the trucks or lorries loaded with imported goods.
After calculating the net weight of the goods by deducting the vehicle’s weight, the software would save the data to its server and auto-generate a weight report for customs duty purposes.
But soon after the system was introduced, a syndicate comprising land port and customs officials, importers and C&F agents found some loopholes in the system and started tampering with the weight, documents show.
This allowed importers to bring in goods way beyond their declaration without paying the duties, and make huge money in the process.
Documents obtained by The Daily Star show the manipulation was done in two ways. First, the syndicate members tampered the weight by placing the trucks in wrong positions on the weighbridge scales 4, 5, and 6 or even by altering the trucks.
In case they failed to take the desired weight at the weighbridge scales, the syndicate members would use the admin ID and password to edit the weight and erase old weight data from the backend of the software to avoid getting caught, said an IT expert, who was a member of the investigation committee formed by the land port authorities in July last year.
The admin ID holders used to control the computers at the port to edit and erase data from the backend using “Any Desk” software remotely, the expert said.
Pointing out some loopholes in the system, the IT expert said the software lacked simple security measures such as unique user IDs for officials and multiple authentication systems.
“Now it is almost impossible to track down the versions of the weight they had deleted or tampered with since the software keeps no database logs,” he said, adding that the software operated with a standalone server, which is a major flaw.
HOW IT CAME TO LIGHT
On July 12, the port authorities caught an outsider at weighbridge-5, where Jaberi Billah, a traffic inspector at Benapole port, was in charge. The outsider was using Jaberi’s user ID.
Four days later, Jaberi filed a complaint, saying his user ID has been hacked and that someone was using it for weight tampering, prompting the port authorities to form a probe committee.
Sources said Jaberi filed the complaint to save himself.
Over the last six months, Benapole Customs wrote to the Benapole port authorities on multiple occasions seeking information about 60 consignments, each of which had two weight reports.
The Customs authorities also expressed dissatisfaction that the port authorities did not patch the software, including for preservation of all records in the database.
“A section of customs and land port officials, importers and C&F agents are dodging customs duties, capitalising on the glitches in the automation system,” one of the letters read.
Benapole Customs House Commissioner Abdul Hakim said a standard feature of any software is that when any data is archived on the server, it cannot be erased or deleted. From the stored data, IT experts can detect any error or manipulation in the system and track down the person responsible.
“We came to know that Benapole land port data are not stored properly. So, we sent letters to the port authorities to reconfigure and rectify the software,” he said.
Akter Unnesa Sheuli, director (traffic), Bangladesh Land Port Authority, who was head of the probe committee, said they failed to hunt down the manipulators since they deleted their digital footprints from the software.
“We have found proof of manipulation at the weighbridge scales and made several recommendations to make the system error free,” she added.
Port authority Chairman Zillur Rahman Chowdhury said they already spoke with the government’s ICT division to fix the flaws.
UNDER SCANNER
Benapole Customs is now separately investigating a number of suspects, including importers, C&F agents, operators, supervisors, and those with admin login access to the software.
A committee formed by the intelligence and investigation wing of Benapole Customs has already grilled some port officials, including Md Hossain Ali Foyjul and Mohammad Moinul Islam, about incidents of some specific duty evasion through weight tampering.
Traffic Inspector Jaberi Billah, now posted at Jamalpur land port, and dismissed traffic inspector Abdul Kader Gilani are due to appear before the committee today.
Weighbridge scale 4, once operated by Gilani, is being investigated over six weight reports relating to three consignments.
In August last year, Gilani was fired for his involvement in a separate scam where more than Tk 12 lakh in land port charges were misappropriated by writing off the information of around 11 vehicles at Akhaura land port in 2016-2017.
Weighbridge scale 5, which Jaberi used to operate, was compromised after an outsider was in possession of Jaberi’s user ID and password.
Weighbridge scale 6, known as the transhipment yard, was operated without specific IDs for traffic inspectors, making it a hotspot for weight tampering, especially for perishable items.
Traffic Inspector and CBA Secretary Saiful Islam Sagir, CBA President Jahangir Alam, Kamrul Hasan Palash and Khoda Box Liton operated this scale for long since its inauguration.
Besides, two outsiders, Billah Hossain and Anwarul, were involved in handling the three scales in question on behalf of port officials, according to internal documents.
Monirul Islam, deputy director (traffic), who was responsible for the operation of all the weighbridge scales at the port when the scam was underway, stopped receiving phone calls after he was asked to comment.
Primary investigations by the port authorities also reveal that admin IDs of two officials — Md Ali Hossain Foyjul, assistant programmer of the Land Port Authority, and Shahadat Hossain, project coordinator of DataSoft Systems Bangladesh Limited — were used for weight tampering.
Foyjul, who was on the probe committee, shrugged off the responsibility.
Before his transfer to Dhaka, Foyjul was in charge of the Benapole Land Port’s automation system as its sole IT expert since its introduction.
Shahadat, who has since been withdrawn over the scam, admitted to having the admin ID for maintenance purposes but denied having any involvement in the weight tampering.”
The Interplay of Technology and Governance
Bangladesh’s journey towards modernization and digitalization is riddled with numerous obstacles. While the government’s laudable efforts to introduce digital solutions in land services have been noticed, the persistence of traditional malpractices indicates a significant disconnect between technological implementation and the intended outcomes. This highlights the urgent need for a more robust approach to digital transformation, one that prioritizes governance, ethics, and accountability.
Furthermore, the challenges faced at Benapole port highlight the complexities of managing physical infrastructures. While technological advancements can enhance efficiency and performance, they must be accompanied by sound governance and ethical practices to ensure they deliver the intended results. The management of physical infrastructures demands a holistic approach that considers technological advancements and the ethical considerations underpinning their implementation.
Bangladesh’s digital transformation and modernization journey demands a concerted effort to address the challenges associated with governance, ethics, and accountability. While technology can certainly play a pivotal role in enhancing efficiency and performance, its impact can only be fully realized when accompanied by intense and ethical governance practices.
Conclusion: A Call for Holistic Approaches
This underscores the need for a more holistic approach to addressing Bangladesh’s dual digital and physical infrastructure management challenges. Ensuring that technological advancements are complemented by ethical governance, transparency, and accountability will be crucial in navigating these complexities. As Bangladesh continues its march towards a digitized and efficient future, these incidents serve as reminders of the persistent vigilance and systemic reforms required to actualize the full potential of these initiatives.