Editorial
Commission rules LGED
What is the remedy?
THE TIB revelation about the LGED is nothing new to us. The various levels and types of corruption in the department that was exposed in a TIB study only reconfirm people's idea about the degree of corruption that the LGED is mired in.
This state of things has been allowed to run in this manner, mainly for political reasons, this being a good milching cow. Have we ever asked why the political party in government always has had the party secretary general as the minister of LGRD?
We hope the government would take the report in the spirit that it was prepared. We recall how former LGRD minister, late Mannan Bhuyian, attacked the TIB representative when a similar study was published a few years ago. The report not only exposes the loopholes that see more than 30 percent of the funds wasted in bribes, commission, overpricing and the likes, but also exposes the internal corruption in the department. Given that the department spends around 15 percent of the government's total development outlay, siphoning of one third of the pie for bribes, not to speak of the money wasted on internal corruption, very little of the allotted money goes to the actual development works.
We suggest the government starts by ensuring that there is as little political interference as possible in the working of the department. One of the resons why things don't get done on time and don't get done properly is because the works are awarded not on merit but on political considerations.
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