Saving cost, using local talent for project work

FE Team | Published: October 18, 2024 20:40:15

With the reopening of the Mirpur-10 and Kazipara metro rail stations within months after it was vandalised by miscreants during the Anti-discrimination Student Movement supported by the masses, the interim government has proved wrong the deposed Hasina government's suggestion that the repair work of the damaged metro rail stations would take at least a year and the repair cost would be as high as Tk 3.0 billion. It has also been exemplary that no extra money was sought from the government to complete the repair work. The repair cost for the Mirpur-10 metro rail station stood at Tk12.5 million and the total repair costs of Kazipara and Mirpur-10 metro rail stations together would finally come to Tk188.60 million, the interim government's Road Transport and Bridges adviser informed. The entire repair work was done mainly with the help of local metro rail experts and a few from abroad.
The task of the metro rail repairs was given to an oversight committee headed by an additional secretary of the ministry. Interestingly, a representative of the anti-discrimination student movement was also included in the oversight committee, while the actual job of repair was done through appointment of a local expert having experience of working in metro rail projects abroad. Overall, the entire exercise set an example of how the development activities and expenditure of public money should be under future government in a new democratic Bangladesh.
Obviously, cost-saving culture and transparency were unknown during the tenure of the toppled regime when the experience was quite to the contrary. The projects would usually take inordinately longer time to complete often seeking additional fund allocations. Consider the Padma Bridge of which the original project cost was set at Tk101.61 billion. But after going through several revisions, the project cost finally rose to Tk326.05 billion. Whatever the reasons for the repeated time extension and cost increase for the project were shown, it was by any standard a clear instance of colossal wastage of public money. Needless to say, it was a classic case of corruption on a massive scale, mismanagement and, on top of it all, the whole purpose of the project appeared to be geared towards inflating the ego of the person at the helm.
However, the metro rail projects under scrutiny were another instance of wastage of money or corruption or both, the excessive costs of the projects definitely speak of wastage for a resource-poor nation. However, to reduce costs, the government would be required to look for local experts and training indigenous talents to take up the responsibility of the technical components of development projects at present as well as in the future. It is worthwhile to note that often graft, bribery and corruption on a larger scale are involved in the case of projects where foreign contractors are involved. In that case, the experience of cost-saving and making do with indigenous experts gathered during the repair of the damaged metro rail stations could well be replicated in the future cases of development work. That should be the real spirit of a responsible and patriotic government and workforce.