Rural roads, communication systems to get top priority: LGRD Minister

Local Government, Rural Development and Cooperatives Minister Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir has said that, InshaAllah, rural roads and communication systems will be given top priority in the coming days, without condoning any form of corruption.

The adjourned meeting of the first session of the 13th Jatiya Sangsad resumed on Sunday, March 29, after a 13-day break. 

The meeting began at 3 pm in the session room of the Jatiya Sangsad Bhaban under the chairmanship of Deputy Speaker Barrister Kayser Kamal. 

The minister made these remarks while responding to a question from Akhtar Hossain, MP for the Rangpur-4 (Pirgachha-Kaunia) constituency.

Mirza Fakhrul, also BNP Secretary General, added: “I agree with the honourable MP’s statement. Extreme corruption took place in mega projects in the name of development during the previous government’s tenure.”

Pointing out regional disparities, the minister said that during the previous interim government, responsible officials had allocated more resources to their respective areas. As a result, roads in the northern region remained severely neglected.

MP Akhtar Hossain said the condition of roads in his area is poor. During the rainy season, people face serious difficulties reaching their homes because of the bad state of the roads. Due to the lack of proper roads in various areas, including char regions, farmers are unable to take their produce to market on time. Consequently, they do not receive a fair price for their products and suffer financially.

Comparing road statistics, the MP stated that in Kaunia Upazila, out of a total of 535 km of roads, only 198 km are paved, while 337 km remain unpaved. 

In Pirgachha Upazila, only 251 km are paved, and 591 km are still unpaved. For the entire Rangpur-4 constituency, out of 1,377 km of roads, only 489 km are paved, leaving 888 km still to be paved.

Raising the issue with the Local Government Minister, he asked whether, in addition to routine work, the government would undertake any special mega project to pave roads at the local level. This, he said, would facilitate better transportation and easier movement of ambulances in rural areas.

Independent lawmaker Rumeen Farhana drew the attention of the minister, saying two unions of her constituency had no road communication and residents of the area are forced to commute on boats or motorcycles. 

In response, the minister suggested that she submit a specific proposal on the issue and assured her that appropriate measures would be taken in this regard.