Hasina orders action against officials over ‘incorrect’ design pushing project cost up by billions

Sheikh Hasina has ordered action against the officials behind “incorrect” design that has led the cost of a project to shoot up by billions.

The prime minister issued the instructions when a proposal was placed in Wednesday’s ECNEC meeting to extend a project to build bridges in the rural areas by three years and raise the cost by Tk 25.3 billion.

“Take legal action against those for whose negligence the project was designed incorrectly which led to waste of time and money,” the prime minister was quoted as saying by Planning Minister MA Mannan as she analysed the proposal.

Hasina also ordered the relevant people to be cautious so as to avoid a repeat of such incidents, Mannan told reporters.

The prime minister was scathing in her assessment of the projects planned and executed by the officials. They come up with new issues while implementing projects, the prime minister said as she took them to task.

“Didn’t you see these things when the project was being planned? Didn’t you go to the project site? How do these new bridge plans pop up now?” 

Hasina also ordered the officials to be prudent in choosing project sites.

“Bridges must be built to suit the people’s need, not near someone’s home to serve their personal interest,” she said.

The authorities now need to rebuild low-height bridges that hinder movement of large vessels, she observed and ordered officials to be mindful of the issue in designing new bridges.