Earlier this month, the government transferred, promoted and appointed Mokbul-e-Elahi and Muktadir Ali to fill vacancies at director's level in Petrobangla. Both these officials were deprived of due promotions despite their seniority due to blatant politicisation of Petrobangla by the immediate past government.

While Muktadir has taken over as director, Production Sharing Contract (PSC), and Mokbul as acting director (Mining), the post of director (Operation) will be vacant from tomorrow as the existing official is leaving Petrobangla on December 1. Director (Operation) Rahman Morshed is set to join the Asian Development Bank.

Meanwhile, the vital post of director (Finance) remains vacant, while director (Planning) Rais Uddin Siddiqui is due to retire in March. The current chairman is also likely to be replaced very soon, sources said.

There are five director's posts in Petrobangla that oversees nine oil and gas affiliates and annually contributes over Tk 2,700 crore to the national exchequer and monitor activities of foreign oil companies under PSCs.

Lack of new recruitment for seven years, a wave of retirements, exodus of talented officers and the severe politicisation have created a manpower vacuum in Petrobangla at its top and mid levels, sources said.

"At this point, the caretaker government should consider transferring and promoting competent and appropriate officials from outside Petrobangla to fill in vital posts," said a high official.

"The government should not just fill in higher posts by promoting less competent officials from Petrobangla affiliates. Frankly, there are not many competent officials left to lead Petrobangla," he added.

"For instance, the post of director finance should be filled with someone with chartered accountancy background or similar discipline instead of promoting an official who has little command over finances," he pointed out.

Petrobangla is now dealing with a number of challenges: handling the country's two troubled mines, oil companies which are now supplying around 28 per cent of the country's total gas requirement and set to increase that to 50 per cent next year and also holding the third round block bidding for oil and gas exploration within next October.

There are about 450 people in Petrobangla now while the posts of directors have remained vacant in turns, for more than two years. The alliance government had held up promotions of many senior persons and controversially made top-level appointments on contract. The caretaker government cancelled one of them.