The government has removed Faruk Ahmed from the post of Managing Director (MD) of Dhaka Mass Transit Company Limited (DMTCL), the company that operates the metro rail.

Faruk Ahmed, who had experience in metro rail construction and operations in various countries, was appointed by the interim government through an international recruitment notice.

He was the first specialist to head DMTCL. Previously, only bureaucrats had held the post.

After assuming office on 17 February, the BNP government has been making changes in different sectors. In some cases, both the changes and the process have raised questions. One such case is the MD position at DMTCL, from which Faruk Ahmed was removed on Monday. He was dismissed at a time when he was putting pressure on lenders, contractors, and consultants to reduce project costs.

Faruk Ahmed had been appointed in February last year for a three-year term. After one year, the government cancelled his appointment.

On Tuesday, additional secretary Anisur Rahman of the road transport ministry was given additional charge as MD of DMTCL. This appointment signals that a specialised institution like DMTCL may once again be run by bureaucrats.