Editorial
Undue pressure to award work
Sends bad signal to foreign contractors
GOING by newspaper reports, influential ruling party interest groups are strong-arming a foreign contractor in an energy project in Ashuganj. From what has been revealed by investigative journalism is that Pipelines Engineering Ltd. has been put under undue pressure to hire technicians and other staff from the locality. The fact that unqualified personnel have been forced down the management's throat of a foreign company to do largely technical jobs is precisely the wrong message to send to foreign companies interested in working in Bangladesh.
Not only has this been a case of forceful employment, but the management has suffered attack on premises and employees when disciplinary action was taken on unruly elements employed. That the local police administration has had to step in to provide security at site of man and material is hardly conducive to a normal work environment. With politically-backed business interests interested only in wresting control of supplying construction material and workers to the project, it is little wonder that work on $136million to build a gas compressor in Ashulia has suffered serious setback.
Needless to say that the project in question is of vital importance as it has everything to do with the supply of natural gas. The State is mandated to provide sufficient security to protect key installations. We are distressed to see that such priority projects too are not being treated with the importance they deserve and urge the administration to take measures to safeguard personnel and material from vandalism.
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