Government incoordination barring haor development

A lack of proper coordination among government bodies is creating obstacles to ensure sustainable development of the haor region, speakers told a discussion yesterday. 

"After formulation of the Master Plan of Haor Area in 2012, Tk 50 crore was allocated for Haors in the next fiscal year but most of the money remained idle due to a lack of proper organisational structure in the administration," said economist Dr Qazi Kholiquzzaman Ahmad.

The chairman of Palli Karma-Sahayak Foundation (PKSF) made the remarks while presenting a keynote paper at a policy dialogue, "Poverty in Haor Region, Seventh Five-Year Plan, and Role of Lawmakers".

The All Party Parliamentary Group organised it at the Ministers' Hostel of Jatiya Sangsad Bhaban.

His paper cited six causes including high population growth, unplanned development, and use of chemicals in land, for destruction of the environmental diversity of the haor area.

Experts, government officials, and ruling party lawmakers, in attendance, vehemently opposed unplanned development in the region.

Former foreign minister Dipu Moni, ruling party lawmakers Abdul Majid Khan, Md Abdul Matin and Pankaj Nath spoke at the programme.   

They alleged that when ministries finalised development plans of the area, they did not take the local lawmakers' views.        

Later in a reply, State Minister for Water Recourses Mohammad Nazrul Islam said that in the future the Water Development Board would not finalise any plan before taking opinions of the local public representatives and lawmakers.

The parliamentarians also suggested that the government include education, health, food and disaster ministries to the advisory body of the Bangladesh Haor and Wetland Development Directorate to strengthen it.

They also urged the government to create a separate ministry for the haor region.