The EC Secretariat allocated Tk 2 lakh to purchase crockery for "entertaining" the journalists from home and abroad, local and foreign delegates and politicians who visit the EC, according to the EC Secretariat documents.

It allocated Tk 56,000 for meetings of the EC and the secretariat. But the EC sat only twice since the task for preparing the voter list started in January.

The EC Secretariat spent Tk 3 lakh on purchasing air-coolers, televisions, radio, fax machine, spare parts of computers, calculators, photocopier and almirah, though it gets regular allocation of funds every year for these purposes, sources said.

The secretariat allocated Tk 14 lakh as entertainment cost and for paying overtime bill to the officials, who worked at night and on public holidays, though only a few EC Secretariat officials have actually worked overtime, the sources added.

It allocated over Tk 3 crore for conveyance and fuel for the vehicles used by the EC and officials of its secretariat, divisional election commissioners, deputy commissioners, registration officers, revising authorities, upazila and thana election officers who have been worked at field level for preparing the voter list.

But the secretary in charge of the EC Secretariat, Jesmin Tuli, yesterday said the secretariat allocated only Tk 1.26 crore for conveyance and fuels costs.