Public money should not be wasted

TARGETING the next general election, the MPs have come up with a kind of back-pocket insurance that allows them to initiate and implement projects in their respective constituencies. In this process, the MPs having constituencies outside city corporation areas will get allocations to be used through the Ministry of LGRD and Cooperatives, for development in their localities. Already, several thousand development proposals have been submitted in the Ministry concerned, where the preliminary evaluation committee marked more than half as totally ‘unnecessary’. Usually, the LGRD Ministry gives priority in constructing bridges on the way to school, college, hospital, bazar and other important places. But the Ministry’s evaluation committee saw that; of the two thousand proposals recommended by the MPs to construct bridges and culverts — fifty per cent are useless. Even in some places, the MPs have recommended to build bridges and culverts without any feasibility study only for favouring their own party men to pocket some extra money.

As it is the year of election, the government has taken step to complete the development projects across the country in a rush. Already the Cabinet Division has sent letters to all Secretaries of the Ministries, DGs, Divisional Commissioners and Deputy Commissioners to complete the ongoing projects by June-July. According to newspaper report, the government is also spending a fat amount of money as consultation fees for the development projects.

We know, the MPs can recommend any development project considering public interest. Whereas, they have recommended the ‘unnecessary’ projects in the name of development hardly one year ahead of the election. Recently, the PM in her Sylhet tour announced that next 11th parliamentary polls will be held in December next. That means, the ruling MPs will get around ten months in hand. We are surprised, why the Ministry has taken such an initiatives involving the lawmakers spending a huge amount of public money that can be embezzled. There is another question — had the MPs have any authority to recommend such unnecessary projects violating the rules and regulations? If the bridges are built as per their recommendations; it would certainly increase public sufferings instead of giving them relief. Not only that, it will also be a waste of public money with destroying farm-land and environment.

The development projects are important for the country, no doubt. But at the same time we disagree as to why these projects would be completed in a hurry targeting the election. We think, the LGRD Ministry will not allocate funds for these unnecessary bridge construction projects. The trend of allocating fund to party MPs ahead of election must be stopped. Public money should not be wasted anymore.