PM Hasina tells engineers not to overdo projects in her constituency

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has cautioned engineers, saying they should not get ‘too excited’ and end up doing more than the necessary in her constituency.

“Every possible project in my constituency has to be overdone … you must stop thinking that way,” she said at the 56th convention of the Institution of Engineers, Bangladesh (IEB) on Saturday.

“There was a time when I had nothing. I was neglected for a long time. But now it hurts to handle so much.

“I’m telling everyone to stop … I do not need all this. Just do what is necessary.”

Over-excitement can never be good, she said. “Please don’t ruin everything by doing too much. Make sure the environment in my area is not ruined.”

PM Hasina said from now on she will take medical treatment only in Bangladesh.

She spoke of her ‘bitter experience’ with an unplanned sluice gate at Gopalganj.

“My area has many water bodies. An embankment beside a lake or a canal … how tall does it have to be? Four, five or three feet is enough. It does not have to be seven, eight or 14 feet tall. Why waste so much money?

“I’ve been seeing that canal for decades, it ebbs and flows. There is no logic in building two sluice gates at both ends of the canal. The canal never posed a threat.

“I suddenly saw a huge project there. Why should there be plans like that?”

The prime minister then asked engineers to check how many such sluice gates had been constructed across the country and do an evaluation on how they impacted the local environment.

“How much crop do I get as a result of that embankment … how much money is spent on its repairs every year, and how much area has it been flooding ..  the sluice gates are ruining lands and causing river erosion.”

Stressing the need for a master plan for every Upazila, she urged engineers to enhance the quality of services and stop wasting funds.

AIB-2015 gold medals were awarded to two engineers for their work. The prime minister also inaugurated the AIB's new 15-storey building.

Save your environment

The Prime Minister said it was very important to avoid damage to the environment while undertaking development projects.

About the proposal to have 100 economic zones in the country, Hasina said 16 such areas have already been identified.

"But we have to avoid too much displacement while setting up these zones," she warned.

And she reminded all about the need to retain water bodies in all these areas even as development projects were implemented.

"I don’t think we will allow anyone to buy land anywhere to set up industry."

Hasina said effluent treatment plants and waste disposal mechanisms have to be worked in all growth zones.

"We also need to keep space for children’s playgrounds and enough space for people to move easily."

Hasina advised engineers to install solar panels in a way that makes it possible to do agriculture beneath them.

All projects have to be conceived as 'modern, aesthetic, environment-friendly', she said.

"I insist on holistic planning for our development, so that there is no wastage of space as we develop infrastructure like power, roads, waste disposal," Hasina said.

She warned against the 'culture' of driving up development costs 'sometimes for the sake of it’. "Please try to save resources and funds and serve the people better. That is what I expect of you."

The Prime Minister stressed the need for an 'all out effort' to achieve the target of 7 percent annual GDP growth this financial year.

She said her government was focused on augmenting power generation and increasing availability of power through 'trans-border power trade. "We have already arranged for import of 1200 MW of power from India."

Hasina said work on a pipeline to buy oil from India has also started. "This will come straight to Parbatipur from a refinery in Assam. The feasibility report is ready; the pipeline is on."

The prime minister also laid much importance on the BBIN (Bangladesh-Bhutan-India-Nepal) and BCIM (Bangladesh-China-India-Myanmar) groupings to accelerate regional growth in eastern South Asia.