Project Implementation Hampered by Coordinators and Adviser’s Local Favoritism, Leaving District Residents Struggling

Staff Correspondent

The coordinators of the anti-discrimination student movement (BAICHA) and advisors to the interim government are taking up huge projects for the development of their respective areas after coming to power, while the people of many troubled districts of the country are suffering due to the lack of basic infrastructure.

Allegations of nepotism and corruption have been raised over the Tk 2,400 crore project for Comilla by Local Government Advisor Asif Mahmud Sajeeb Bhuiyan and NCP Coordinator Hasnat Abdullah, and the Tk 2,198 crore project for Satkhira by Cabinet Secretary Sheikh Abdur Rashid. Meanwhile, districts like Kurigram, which are grappling with serious problems, are being deprived of development allocations.

Huge allocation in Comilla and Satkhira, other districts deprived

According to the information, the Local Government Engineering Department (LGED) has taken up a project worth Tk 2,400 crore in Comilla, with the highest allocation (Tk 453 crore) being given to Muradnagar, Asif Mahmud’s upazila. The second highest allocation (Tk 338 crore) is to Hasnat Abdullah’s upazila Devidwar. Similarly, LGED has taken up a project worth Tk 2,198 crore in Satkhira, the district of Cabinet Secretary Sheikh Abdur Rashid, where he himself played a key role. The Planning Commission said that such a large single project for any district is unprecedented in the history of LGED.

However, there is no single project for districts like Kurigram, where 70 percent of the upazila roads are in bad condition. Yunus Hossain Biswas, executive engineer of LGED Kurigram, said that in the last fiscal year, they had demanded 800 million taka for road repair, but received only 400 million.

He added, “People come with demands for road repairs, but we cannot do anything due to lack of money.” This disparity raises questions about the lack of transparency and fairness in the country’s development policies.

Allegations of nepotism and corruption

Coordinators Asif Mahmud and Hasnat Abdullah and their associates brought down the Awami League government through violence. Their tendency to take huge allocations from their own areas after coming to power has drawn public accusations of ‘corruption’ and ‘nepotism’. Netizens say that these projects are actually being taken to cover the expenses of the upcoming elections.

A Facebook user wrote, “Those who protested against corruption are now engaging in nepotism in the name of development.”

These allegations are not limited to Comilla or Satkhira. There are also allegations of abuse of power among other advisors and coordinators of the interim government.

The plight of deprived districts

The poor condition of roads has been a long-standing problem in districts like Kurigram, Lalmonirhat, and Gaibandha. According to LGED, most of the roads in these districts fall into the ‘bad’ or ‘very bad’ category. However, there is no adequate allocation or single project for these districts. As a result, local people are suffering from inaccessible communication systems, loss of business and commerce, and lack of emergency services.

A resident of Kurigram said, “It’s difficult to walk on our roads, yet I hear from Dhaka that projects worth billions of taka are going to other districts.”

The shadow of corruption and public anger

TIB Executive Director Dr. Iftekharuzzaman said, “The anti-corruption pledges of those in power remain limited to words.”

Home Affairs Advisor Lieutenant General (retd) Jahangir Alam Chowdhury said, “Corruption is the biggest problem in Bangladesh, which has penetrated every nook and cranny of society.” But the localism of student coordinators and advisors is deepening this problem.

Public anger is growing. Many on social media are asking, “Are those who fought against corruption now becoming corrupt themselves?”

The report of the Anti-Corruption Commission’s Reform Commission also demanded an investigation into this allegation. It is time for the student coordinators and advisors to take transparent and impartial steps to protect the ideals of the mass uprising, otherwise the risk of losing public trust will increase.