In addition to this, there are five other directors on contract--also appointed on political considerations--who lost jobs after the caretaker government took over power.

There are 59 posts of director in the nine affiliates of Petrobangla, which annually fetches the government more than Tk 3,000 crore revenue.

Out of eight directors of Titas Gas Transmission and Distribution Co Ltd, the former government appointed five on political grounds.

Four of them are Md Shah Alam, director general of Prime Minister's Office, MA Momen, president of Dhaka Chamber of Commerce and Industries, Emdadul Haq, an industrialist, and Abdul Hafiz Chowdhury, former vice president of Metropolitan Chamber of Commerce.

Recently, the caretaker government cancelled the contract of Maj Gen (retd) Imam Uz Zaman, chairman of Bangladesh Chemical Industries Corporation (BCIC), who was also appointed on political grounds.

In Bakhrabad Gas Systems Ltd, the alliance government appointed three of the seven directors. Two of them--Dr Salehuddin Mohammad Anisuzzaman, professor of public administration at University of Dhaka, and Abul Kashem Haider, vice president of Federation of Bangladesh Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FBCCI)--are still serving.

The third politically appointed person was M Nazrul Islam, former director (finance) of Petrobangla, who was given a contract service in Petrobangla and made director of both Bakhrabad Ltd and Bangladesh Gas Field Ltd. His contract was cancelled.

In Bangladesh Gas Fields Ltd, the alliance government appointed two directors--other than Nazrul Islam--out of seven under political consideration. Dr M Tamim, professor of Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology (Buet), and Md Abdul Aziz Khan, director general of Petrobangla, Dhaka, are still working there.

In Rupantarita Prakritik Gas Co Ltd, the alliance government appointed four directors out of eight under political consideration: Dr Anawarul Azim, vice chancellor of Buet, Matiur Rahman Chowdhury, editor of Daily Manabzamin, Md Manirul Islam, personal secretary of prime minister, and Abdul Matlub Ahmed, chairman of Nitol Group. They are still serving.

In Bangladesh Petroleum Exploration and Productions Co Ltd, the BNP-led alliance government appointed Abu Ahmed, professor of economics at University of Dhaka.

Out of seven directors in Gas Transmission Co Ltd, four were appointed under political consideration. Three of them--AYM Kamal, director of Dhaka Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Dr Ezaz Hossain, professor of Buet, and Md Manirul Islam, personal secretary-1 of prime minister--are still working there.

The caretaker government cancelled the contract of the other director, Md Emdadul Haq, director general of Bangladesh Petroleum Institute. Emdadul was also serving as a director of the Madhyapara Granite Mining Co Ltd (MGMCL).

Other than Emdadul, the MGMCL still has one politically appointed director in its six-member panel. He is MA Awal, chairman of Bangladesh Textiles Mills Association.

At Barapukuria Coal Mining Co Ltd, two directors out of six were appointed under political consideration. They are Emdadul Haq, member of Board of Investment, and Jalal Uddin Al Kaderi, director of Prime Minister's Office.

Reazul Islam, vice president of Institute of Engineers Bangladesh, was appointed in Western Gas Co Ltd under political consideration and is still continuing in the post.