40 pc CHT projects still untouched

This came to light at the monthly meeting held at Bandarban Hill District Council office here on Sunday to review progress of the projects.

High officials of the CHT Affairs Ministry attended the meeting. This was the second such meeting of the ministry outside Dhaka to review progress in implementation of development projects and ensure coordination among implementation agencies.

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The first such meeting was held in Rahgamati in February.

Meeting sources told this correspondent that the meeting expressed utter dissatisfaction at the poor state of project implementation. The officials wondered whether the projects could at all be implemented within the period. The current 2004-2005 financial year ends in June.

CHT Affairs Ministry Secretary Mohammad Sahjahan Majumder presided over the meeting.

While reviewing the projects, Deputy Minister for CHT Affairs Moni Swapan Dewan expressed his dismay that work on about 40 per cent of the projects have not yet been started. He also told the meeting the government's expectations from various implementation agencies, departments and local bodies and gave them guidelines.

He specifically mentioned the Chittagong Hill Tracts Development Board, Chittagong Hill Tracts Electrification Project and Rural Development Project and held their officials responsible for non-implementation of their projects.

Moni Swapan warned the authorities concerned and said action would be taken against officials if the money sanctioned for the projects are returned due to "negligence of officials or conspiracy".

He ordered the authorities concerned to implement the projects at any cost within the current financial year, the sources added.

The meeting however discuss ways for quick implementation of projects and identified flaws in the way. The officials also marked some of the sectors and urged their officials to implement the projects in time.

Local heads of government departments and high officials of Chittagong Hill Tracts Regional Council, representatives of Bandarban, Rangamati and Khagrachari hill district councils attended the meeting which also discussed possible projects for the next financial year.