SYLHET, Mar 29: The regional office of the Haor O Jolabhumi Unnayan Directorate in Sunamganj district town couldn't start functioning even after two years of its formal inauguration. This is why it couldn't do anything for the inhabitants of the low lying region in seven districts as yet, local leading people said.
The office was formally inaugurated at the Sholaghar area of the remote haor district town on February 28, 2016. But, only three had been attending the office as personal assistant, office assistant and night guard on daily wage basis having no work at all.
The ground floor and the first floor are set for office while the second floor of the building is used as rest house. Sometimes local youths often enter the office area and get engaged in anti-social activities, alleged a staff of the office.
With a target for development and management of the low-lying region through various interventions in the country's vast haor region, the Haor Development Board was first established in 1977 with its headquarters at Kishoreganj district town and regional offices on other towns. Accordingly, a good number development schemes were implemented in all the 7 haor districts and upazilas. But it was dissolved in 1982.
The then Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina at a public meeting in Kishoreganj in 1998 again announced resetting the Haor Unnayan Board.
Accordingly it was reestablished in 2000 centrally. Although it was Haor Unnayan Board at the beginning, and the board was renamed as Haor O Jolabhumi Unnayan directorate last year but its activities are yet to be started.
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