Editorial
Private fund collection for Padma Bridge
Prohibit it through official notification
No one is contending the fact that Bangladesh can build a bridge using its own resources. The questions are at what cost the proposed Padma Bridge will be built and what will the process of fund collection be.
In an earlier editorial, this paper had rung an alarm bell that unless clear cut mechanisms for fund collection were initiated by the government, there would be those who would cash in on the nationalistic jingoism.
The government has decided to open two bank accounts to collect voluntary public contributions for the project, which we feel is a step in the right direction. However, we are dismayed to witness the first signs of things going awry through factional fighting that erupted in Rajshai University over so called fund collection for Padma Bridge. And it has already cost the life of a Chattra League activist.
Although the opening of the bank accounts and declaration of such a move by the government is specifically aimed to avoid incidents like the one that took place at Rajshai University, the step does not go far enough. While we take some solace in the Finance Minister's statement that no one was assigned to collect money from the public for the construction of the Padma Bridge, it is crucial that the government makes it known through official notification that funds will be collected only through appropriate institutional mechanisms and proper channels.
It must be made clear that there is no room to ask for contributions through any other means. Should any quarter make attempts to coerce such contributions, legal steps will be taken by the State against such party or parties. Otherwise, chaos will reign supreme in the land and the image of the government is bound to take a nosedive, because, in the final analysis, party-based collection automatically leads to extortion.
For all latest news, follow The Daily Star's Google News channel.
Comments