As the government has taken a mega project to address the perennial water-logging problem in the port city of Chittagong, experts say that there should be a "strong monitoring" in its implementation so that not a single penny of the public fund is wasted.
They also called for creating a "mechanism with clear guidelines and well-defined work responsibilities" to successfully implement and make the project a popular development project. Their suggestions also include involving experts from the Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology (Buet), if necessary, for the smooth implementation of the project making the best use of the public fund.
Amid unprecedented water-logging in the port city this time, the Executive Committee of the National Economic Council (Ecnec) on August 9 approved the big project involving Tk 5,616.50 crore to mitigate the sufferings of its residents.
"In the past, we saw wastage of money, in some cases. There had been overlapping, too. We need to find out a mechanism with well-defined work responsibilities for each to make the best use of the public fund. Proper coordination is a must," town planner Prof M Ali Ashraf told UNB.
There should not be any scope for the waste of time and money ensuring that the people of the city benefit fully out of such a gigantic project, he said. "It should be well-defined on who will do what under which capacity," said Prof Ashraf, also ex-Chairman of the Institution of Engineers Bangladesh, Chittagong Centre mentioning that the government can come up with the mechanism.
Chairperson of the Chittagong chapter of International Business Forum of Bangladesh (IBFB) SM Abu Tayyab termed the project approval as a matter of great relief and said Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina's timely initiative generated hopes among people in Chittagong.
"Chittagonians, despite their confinement to home due to water-logging, have forgotten their sufferings for a moment when they came to know about the approval of the much-sought project. We expect proper coordination and mechanism to make the best use of the fund," he told UNB. Abu Tayyab stressed that transparency, accountability and strong monitoring need to be ensured at each stage of the project implementation which will help bring in desired benefits for the people.
"We also must ensure quality work and common people can also play the role of watchdog in this regard. We need to make sure that each penny of the allocation is used in a way that it brings benefit for the people in Chittagong," said the business leader.
He said the government faced criticisms instead of appreciation despite making allocations for various development projects in Chittagong in the past amid allegations that there had been lack of coordinated efforts and expert opinions.
"We want to see it a popular development project. If we can see its proper implementation, I'm sure the government will allocate more funds," he added. Chairman and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Well Group of Industries Syed Nurul Islam said they have an expectation that Chittagong will get rid of water-logging within the next two years with proper implementation of the project. "It's a big gift for the people of Chittagong from the Prime Minister."
Earlier, CDA Chairman Abdus Salam expressed the hope that the city dwellers would see a visible improvement in the water-logging problem in at least one affected area of the port city in the next rainy season. "Residents will get rid of the problem on completion of the three-year project."
He said the project has been taken after a feasibility study conducted by CDA following the guideline of CDA master plan 1995 and an upgraded master plan formulated by Chittagong Wasa in 2016.
"Chittagong is a great resource for Bangladesh. Many countries are landlocked. But, we're blessed with many assets. We couldn't take care of the city the way it deserves because we didn't have any plan in place in that way," Abu Tayyab said describing how badly businesses were affected due to water-logging.
With the approval of the 'canal re-excavation, extension, renovation and development to resolve water-logging in Chittagong city', the government has directed for implementing the project in an integrated manner.
The LGRD, Housing and Public Works, and Water Resources Ministries and the Chittagong City Corporation have been made parts of the project instead of giving the responsibility to the Chittagong Development Authority (CDA) alone. The proposed project will be implemented by June 2020. According to the development project proposal (DPP), the water-logging has become one of the major problems of the port city as its residents face deluge during monsoon every year, making their lives miserable.
City streets and low-lying areas go under water even after a moderate shower. Besides, the low-lying areas often get inundated during the high tide. The city's drainage system has almost collapsed due to the non-implementation of the proposals laid out in the drainage master plan.
Under the project, the implementing agency will re-excavate 36 canals of Chittagong city, construct side drain to remove rainwater, acquire 96 acres of land, and construct 176,000 metres of retain wall, 85.68 km of road, 48 PC bridges and 6 culverts.
-UNB