The Manila-based Asian Development Bank (ADB) is irked over funding of $12.03 billion to more than forty projects out of 52 in Bangladesh because of their slow progress. The financier has scrutinised those slow-moving projects and taken a critical view of their weak implementation trajectory. ADB is reportedly going to be tougher on funding Bangladesh’s development recipe as it is set to review the cause of delay of project implementation at a two-day tripartite meeting in the last week of this month. The multi-national lender will also hold discussion with the Economic Relations Division (ERD) on the issue during the meeting. According to media reports, the ADB may warn of withdrawing its funds from the worst-performing projects.
The much-discussed bus-rapid transit (BRT) project is among the slow-moving ones. During the discussion, the lender would basically make a stocktaking of the slow-moving projects in a bid to remove the bottlenecks and expedite their execution. As reported, the delay in project implementation has been a chronic problem in the country.
This has angered almost all barring those directly involved in the implementation of development projects. Even the key policymakers have expressed their deep dissatisfaction over the slow-moving projects, alleging that the delay very often leads to cost escalation.
Some mega projects have been the victims of such delays. Often, officials blame the pandemic as one of the major reasons for the delay in project execution over the last two years. But the pre-pandemic years had been no better. Most segments of development projects, starting from their approval down to procurement of goods and services, faced delays. No amount of criticism could help the executing agencies resolve their problems in this respect.
If the government has no constitutional legitimacy the administration takes full advantage in not doing their functions with seriousness. The officials are fully aware that they are sources power and the basis of government. Sycophancy for personal gain is their supreme objective. They must preserve the government in power but not for the government for real success.
They arrested experts in showing paper success in doing nothing seriously. The money allotted for big projects is to help corruption and the projects remain incomplete raising international concern of the aid givers. The government is unconcerned and not ashamed.
