Even the Speaker has appointed a huge number of employees for the offices of chairmen of parliamentary standing committees that stood dissolved automatically at the end of the parliament's tenure.

In a surprise initiative in the last few days, Speaker Jamir Uddin Sircar appointed 84 personal assistants and office assistants for different offices including those of the standing committee chairmen.

The parliament secretariat has confirmed the job of 42 of them as they were serving for the last five years on ad hoc basis, and another 42 got appointment on ad hoc basis.

Jamir Uddin told reporters that he took the move to keep democracy on track.

Talking to reporters, former Speaker Abdul Hamid however termed the appointments "rehabilitation" of BNP and Jamaat men.

Meanwhile, a section of employees of the parliament secretariat alleged that authorities made the appointments through irregularities, and demanded a probe into this.

Sources pointed out that three staffs-- an administrative officer, a typist and a peon -- are adequate for a parliamentary committee office at the parliament secretariat but at least three typists and two peons have been appointed for each such office.

Many typists and peons cannot manage any place to sit in any room as the Speaker has appointed too many class four employees. Most of them are workers of BNP and Jamaat, and they also served the standing committee chairmen from the two parties in the last parliament, the sources mentioned.

Rules provide for the formation of standing committees within the first three sessions of a parliament. But such committees were formed after three years of first session of the eighth parliament.

Chairman of a standing committee can appoint a person as personal staff on ad hoc basis but now there is no scope for such appointments, not to speak of permanent appointments, said a senior official at the parliament secretariat.

During the eighth parliament's tenure, chairmen of the standing committees appointed a staff each considering political loyalty but those appointments stood cancelled automatically with the expiry of tenure. But after the change of political situation in the country, the Speaker's office has taken a move to confirm the jobs of such personal staffs of the former chairmen.

A number of high officials of the parliament secretariat expressed fears that the new appointments could create serious problems if the BNP-Jamaat fails to return to power in the next election. Others from their rival parties would not accept such appointees in their offices.

The parliament secretariat will have to spend Tk 53. 93 lakh a year to pay salaries to the new appointees.