Dhaka, Jan 26 (bdnews24.com)—In a thinly veiled dig at the World Bank, prime minister Sheikh Hasina on Thursday hinted that her government will not take money from the global lending agency to implement the Padma bridge project if the donor fails to prove charges of corruption it raised in the country's biggest infrastructure project.
"A donor organisation has raised allegation of corruption relating to the Padma bridge. But we have not found any proof of corruption," she told a function at the Bangabandhu International Conference Centre in the city.
"I have asked that lending agency to come up with the proofs on the allegation of corruption. We will not accept the organisation's fund for the project if it fails to prove the allegation of corruption," she added
The World Bank in last October suspended a $1.2 billion loan to the government for the $ 2.9 billion mega project that has been awash in corruption allegations.
The Anticorruption Commission is currently investigating the charges that the government has frequently refuted.
Inaugurating the 19th National Convention and the 35th Council Session of the Institution of Diploma Engineers Bangladesh (IDEB), Hasina said her government has taken a decision to implement big projects like Padma bridge under public-private partnership (PPP).
"We can't live with disgrace. We have to be self-reliant."
She said the donor agencies attach strings to their giving loans which delay project implementation, while the government can execute its own-funded projects comparatively faster since there are no conditions to meet.
After taking power for a second term in 2009, the government has been putting the highest priority to the construction of the 6.15 km long Padma bridge across the Padma River which would link the country's north with its more-isolated south.
The tension between the government and the global lending agency burst into public view after the project co-financier slapped allegations against the then communications minister Abul Hossain that he was engaged in extortion during river dredging, appointment of consultants and preliminary selections.
Later, Obaidul Quader was given charge of the communications ministry and Hossain was put at the helm of the newly carved out information and communications technology ministry. The government then reopened discussion with the donor organisations to manage the fund for the project.
Apart from the World Bank, Asian Development Bank (ADB) has pledged $610 million, Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) $400 million and Islamic Development Bank $140 million as loan for the $2.9 billion-project to build the bridge.
ICT FOR DEVELOPMENT
The theme of the 19th National Convention of IDEB is "People-oriented information technology will change the economy."
Hasina said that there was no alternative to the proper use of information technology for economic development. "That's why we had pledged to build a 'Digital Bangladesh' during the last parliamentary election."
The prime minister left it up to the people to justify the government's success in the last three years towards implementing efforts to fully digitalise the country by 2021. "But we can now say it with conviction that now-a-days the people do not have to suffer much to access different government service," she added.
The prime minister stressed that quality of development work and proper utilisation of state resources depend on the honesty, dedication and efficiency of the engineers.
"We believe that no resource is bigger than skilled human resources. So, we have taken initiatives to turn the manpower into skilled human resources.".
Hasina said her government has introduced vocational course in the SSC level in some 1,800 non government high schools. Also, 49 polytechnic institutes including three for females have been set up at government initiative and 205 such institutes at private initiative.
The prime minister said the government is going to establish 25 more polytechnic institutes including a further three for females to expand vocational education.
Hasina said her government would provide capital if persons having IT knowledge are involved in small production. Initiatives have been undertaken to disburse soft-loan by the scheduled banks including the Employment Bank, she said.
Presided over by IDEB president A K M A Hamid, the inaugural function was also addressed by its vice-president Zafar Ahmed Sadek.
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