'None would be spared for negligence in work'

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina yesterday directed all concerned to complete the development works on time by maintaining quality and warned that none would be spared for negligence in work.

"If anybody undertakes work, he or she must finish the work within the stipulated time by maintaining its quality ... any type of negligence in this regard won't be tolerated," she said while inaugurating 'Sheikh Hasina Water Treatment Plant' here .

The premier asserted that anyone committing misdeeds would not be spared whoever he or she may be. "We didn't come to power for resorting to corruption, taking commission or doing business ... we came to power for doing work for the country and serving the people," she said.

Expressing strong resentment over the bad condition of Chittagong city roads, she asked the mayor and others concerned to find out its reason and take action accordingly.

In this connection, she pointed out the sorry state of the road between Chittagong Naval Base and Boat Club, saying that she witnessed the same condition when she visited the port city in 2015.

"The road was dug for constructing bridges, but the bridges are yet to be completed ... I want to know why such a state exists," she said.

The premier said she had earlier directed the military secretary who is from Chittagong to look into the matter and accordingly he talked to authorities concerned. "The authorities told the military secretary that the work of bridges would be completed, but the bridges are yet to be completed," she said.

Sheikh Hasina said the LGED and Chittagong City Corporation were supposed to complete the work with the cooperation of the JICA. "I have no information that the Japanese agency delays any work ... the reason for delay must be found out," she said.

"I want to know for whose negligence the roads are lying in such a sorry state. If there is any problem, it would be addressed," she added.

Calling for taking action against this, she said, "I don't want to see such condition when I would visit the city next time."

Sheikh Hasina also expressed her dissatisfaction over the current state of the Karnaphuli river and said, "I don't want the condition of Karnaphuli to be similar to that of Dhaka's Buriganga."

Stressing the need for saving the Karnaphuli from pollution, she said dumping waste into it won't be accepted in any way.

In this regard, the premier asked the Chittagong WASA to set up a central sewerage treatment plant so that polluted water couldn't go to the river.

She also called for identifying the industrial units responsible for pollution of the river and taking steps against them.

The prime minister said the country's development is the biggest matter to her. "Who got work and who didn't are not a matter to be considered, rather uplift of the country is the biggest thing to me," she said.

Sheikh Hasina said the World Bank had brought corruption allegation against the government. "We took the matter as a challenge and we faced this challenge successfully," she said.

The premier said she and her family got much pain for the allegation brought by the World Bank. "The global lender carried out investigations against the minister, adviser and secretary but didn't find any fault," she said.

Sheikh Hasina also urged the city dwellers to be economical in using water and electricity. "You will have to be economical and remain careful so water is not misused," she said, adding Tk 8,454 crore was spent for the new water treatment plant of the port city.

Sheikh Hasina said the new water treatment plant would play a vital role in solving water crisis of the city dwellers.

She said there were so many problems in Chittagong in the past, but those were solved one after another after Awami League came to power.

In this connection, she mentioned various projects implemented by her government like upgradation of Chittagong Shah Amanat International Airport to an international airport, upgradation of the Dhaka-Chittagong Highway to four- lane and Chittagong-Cox's Bazar rail link project. Elaborating her government's various development works, she said, "Only Awami League does something for the country, nobody else." LGRD Minister Engineer Khandakar Mosharraf Hossain, City Mayor AJM Nasiruddin and Chittagong WASA Managing Director Engineer AKM Fazlullah spoke at the function chaired by Local Government Division Secretary Abdul Malek. Housing and Public Works Minister Engineer Mosharraf Hossain and Water Resources Minister Barrister Anisul Islam Mahmud were present on the dais.

Earlier, Sheikh Hasina opened the water treatment plant with a daily production capacity of nine crore liters of water by unveiling its plaque.

Chittagong WASA took up the project in 2006 in order to meet the growing demand for water for the city residents.

Financed by Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), the project began in 2010 and went into operation in November last with a generation capacity of nine crore 30 lakh liters of water per day.

Source: BSS