Sylhet Bureau :
Citizens forum ‘Haor Banchao, Sunamganj Banchao’ demanded immediate start of works on all the haor protection schemes in the haor districts, dropping the accused persons from the Project Implementation Committees (PICs).
They also called for dropping unnecessary schemes and for ensuring implementation of flawless schemes in line with government-set rules and instructions.
The office bearers of the forum raised the demands at a press conference held at the Shahid Jagotjyoti Pathagar at the district town yesterday.
Veteran freedom fighter Bazlul Mazid Chowdhury Khosru, also president of the forum, replied to the queries while its general secretary Bijon Sen Roy read out the written statement.
Although the WDB had sanctioned Tk 950 million for the district and asked the concerned officials for starting works by December 15, implementation of many of the 553 schemes are yet to be started, they said.
Besides, some of the accused in cases filed by the ACC for flawed works on the last year’s schemes had been included in PICs this year. They should be dropped immediately for the sake of doing works rightly, the organisers said.
On the other hand, there are allegations that some of the local influential people had already selected some unnecessary schemes for “misappropriating” government funds.
Such schemes should immediately be scrapped on proper enquiry, they demanded. Otherwise we would be compelled to launching agitation against such irregularities, the speakers added.
On getting complaints, however, the Deputy Commissioner of Sunamganj Md Abdul Ahad assured of dropping the ACC-accused people from the different PICs. He said the unnecessary schemes will be scrapped on enquiry soon.
Meanwhile, the Upazila Nirbahi Officer of Dharmapasha on Friday handed over Shah Alam, president of PIC #1 and Tajuddin president of PIC#25 to the police for not starting works on their respective schemes.
The actions were taken as the UNO and other officials visited their project sites on the haor, but found no sign of starting works although they were allotted sanctioned money and were given work orders a week ago.
The forum’s advisor Bikash Ranjan Chowdhury, Vice-president Sulhendu Sen and Md. Robiul Islam and AK Qudrat Pasha also attended the press conference.
