All about Pearl Fashion Institute in Dhaka - II

by Special Correspondent
May 19, 2011

http://www.weeklyblitz.net/1450/all-about-pearl-fashion-institute-in-dhaka-ii

Dubious foreign enterprise, Pearl Fashion Institute has no permission from Bangladesh Bank [Foreign Exchange Department] for remitting huge amount of money to its head quarters in India. According to initial information, Pearl Fashion Institute [PFI] has collected TK. 380,000 from each of the students for 'degree' in Merchandising as well as in Fashion Designing. Currently there are approximately 270 students with PFI. So, till date, PFI has sent more than US$ 1.4 million to India through illegal channel.

Campus of PFI is located at road number 6 at Baridhara, where Malaysian High Commission, Embassy of Iran and Embassy of Brunei are situated. It could not be understood as to how this organization is allowed to open a campus right within the diplomatic enclave.

At the same time, PFI is running a full-fledged industrial unit inside the campus with at least 30 electrical sewing machines, cutting machines and other industrial equipment. The organization though is paying electricity bills as per commercial rates, according to existing rules, PFI should be charged under industrial tariff to pay its electricity and other utility bills. Through such means, Pearl Fashion Institute is directly evading millions of Taka each year and not paying Dhaka Electric Supply Company [DESCO], Dhaka WASA and Titas Gas, the real amount of bills.

It is also learnt that Indian nationals like Ms. Garima Shivastava, Ms. Shivani Sharma, Ms. Dhowani Khanna, Ms. Archana and Ms. Minakshi are working at Pearl Fashion Institute though most of them do not have any work permit issued by Bangladesh government for such full time employment with PFI. Academic backgrounds of these foreign nationals are also unclear.

There are also some local teachers with Pearl Fashion Institute namely Tamim, Arif, Shihab, Tapan and Mili.

On physical investigation of PFI, it was found that, the foreign nationals and Ms. Garima Shivastava, who is actually representing the owners of this institution are playing dilly-dally with the fate and future of hundreds of Bangladeshi students, by giving them the false impression that, PFI is an affiliated institution of Nottingham Trent University in United Kingdom.

It is also learnt that, Pearl Fashion Academy's branch in United Arab Emirates was forced to shut down, due to massive corruption and lack of any legal status. In India, Pearl Fashion Academy is considered to be a mere vocational training institute. But, in Bangladesh, PFI has been pretending to be a private university, by showing its connections with Nottingham Trent University.

Most importantly, Mr. Deepak Seth, who is chairman of Pearl Fashions Limited and Pearl Academy of Fashions is not shown to have any connection with PFI in Bangladesh on the website of PFL. Same things happens with Mr. AKG Nair, who also is the group director of Pearl Fashion Academy, but has no connections with PFI.

Though there is a button titled Senior Faculty Members on the website of Pearl Fashion Academy, there is no mention of any person in such category. It also evidently proves that, Pearl Fashion Academy is also another dubious institution. On the other hand, there is some names of individuals as members of Academic Board of PFA, whose educational details are no mentioned for reason unknown.

Bangladeshi intelligence agencies have already started investigating the case of Pearl Fashion Institute. For the sake of fate of hundreds of local students, the ministry concerned as well as the Home Ministry need to look into this issue with due urgency and check the legal status of working of the foreign nationals with PFI. Utility service organizations like DESCO, WASA, TITAS GAS etc also need to take necessary action against PFI for suppressing consuming electricity, gas and water for industrial purpose, under the garb of an institute.

Weekly Blitz is continuing the investigation on PFI. First part of the report of Pearl Fashion Institute is available here.

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