Govt officials are custodians of public resources : minister

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Government officials are custodians of public resources and must ensure responsible planning and effective implementation of development projects, Local Government Minister Dr Abdul Moeen Khan has said.

He made the remarks as the chief guest at a discussion on the development activities of the Local Government Engineering Department (LGED) at its Agargaon office in Dhaka on Saturday.

The minister urged LGED officials to prevent wastage of public resources and ensure the best possible use of limited resources.

“Government officials are custodians of public resources. Therefore, responsibility, proper planning and effective implementation must be ensured in every development project,” he said.

He said merely preparing plans on paper was not enough and that their implementation was the most important part. Given the country’s limited resources, the government must achieve maximum results at minimum cost by balancing needs with capacity.

Plans should also be implemented considering public services and realities at the grassroots level, he added.

The minister said an initiative of former prime minister Khaleda Zia had ushered in a new phase of rural infrastructure development through LGED, bringing significant changes to the country’s rural infrastructure.

He expressed hope that people would benefit over the next 20 to 30 years from the development plans being undertaken under Prime Minister Tarique Rahman’s leadership.

He said the key to developing Bangladesh’s rural infrastructure and communities was in the hands of LGED officials. He urged them to work together to implement government development plans while giving priority to the welfare of people at the grassroots.

State Minister for Local Government Mir Shah Alam, who attended the meeting as a special guest, called for reducing the use of bricks in rural road construction and increasing the use of uni blocks and CC blocks.

He said these materials should be used instead of bricks on small roads 6 to 9 feet wide, while RCC, carpeting and locally sourced stone should be used as appropriate on roads carrying heavy vehicles. He also instructed officials to use ‘Binya grass’ to prevent soil erosion along riverbanks and on flood-prone roads.

The state minister also called for increased solar power generation by installing solar panels at union parishads, upazila parishads, haat bazaars and other local government institutions.

He said surplus electricity could be supplied to the national grid through net metering, reducing electricity costs and increasing the income of local institutions.

He instructed officials to prioritise installing solar panels at their respective offices.

Local Government Division Secretary Md Shahidul Hasan, LGED Chief Engineer Md Belal Hossain and others attended the meeting.