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To The Editor
Should the NGOs be politicised?
Sir, With the LG elections approaching later this year, the nation may debate and arrive at a consensus whether the NGOs should be politicised or enter into election context on Individual-candidate basis. The long-term Implications are many, and these have to be laid before the voters by the political and administrative experts in national interest. The best forum is the JS.
The LG setup and the elections at the base level of administration is a sensitive issue, having never worked smoothly before, and interrupted politically several times since 1948. A new foundation Is being laid (and has to be laid) so that we can have democracy working at the base level, enabling the villagers to take part directly! in ■ the decision-making process.
What would be the stance of the foreign NGOs? When there is a tie-up between local and foreign NGOs. the foreign Influence will indirectly filter Into politics (pockets of influence). Is it desirable? How to ensure checks and balance, especially when standard political culture will take some more time to settle down; and still more time to work smoothly at routine level.
Therefore it might be better to start the LG structure with a simple set-up. and introduce the available expansion options later in phases, keeping the system modular: remembering that the majority of the adults in the rural area are Illiterate; and the educated permanent residents tend to move away into the urban locations and are not ordinarily resident at their permanent addresses.
Our national governance had been subject to non-pollti-cal invasions' since independence for reasons best explained by the politicians themselves. Now democracy is on trial, and subject to experiments by those impatient with the waiting game, for reasons beyond their control. The people's interest have to be safeguarded, before the political leaders tinker with exercises for the consolidation of their own political parties. A basic question which has to be faced is how far and how quickly the local government blueprint will start working In an encouraging way, before the democratic way of governance is cultured and nurtured to a stable level and depth. It is a complex issue, hence further progress is subject to a broad consensus. How are we trying for it?
A Zabr Dhaka
The peace is disturbed
Sir, Some recent events are hampering our peace.
Why did the government shift the pontoon bridge of the Crescent Lake to Shayestaganj ? Who has/have prepared the answer that there was no alternative of taking this bridge for the greater interest of the people in the Sylhet region? Wny couldn't the Communication Minister answer to the BBC correspondent's question — if there were no pontoon bridge other than the sensitive one of the Crescent Lake and why did he so discourteously ask the correspondent to know from the Army (20-09-97)? We are a poor nation, but are we really so poor that we do not have a pontoon bridge other than this one to be . used in emergency?
Why did our very gentle and sincere Home Minister invade the BNP party office with his police force? Who has/have made him so rough and tough > on the BNP men? Was it a tit for. . tat (we may recall such an «t< tack on the AL office during the laatBNPregime)? If so. what is
the difference between a pro-in-dependence and a pro-Pakistan party?
Why is the BNP opposing the decision of the Dec to hold public meetings in some prescribed venues? We now understand that the DCCs decision came in a hurry and there might be hypocrisy in the decision. But why does the BNP fail to understand that none including the political parties do have any right to hold public meetings blocking public roads?
Why did the acting secretary general of the ever-biggest opposition make such a whimsical statement to the BBC (22-09-97) that they have been holding public meetings and rallies on public roads for a long time and it has been a trend? Is it that his party, while in power, failed to decide on some venues for ’ public meetings and so no other party should Succeed in doing so? If all- the prescribed venues are not suitable for holding public rallies — then why not mention the more suitable ones (the Mayor has kept this option open!)?
Why does the BNP resort to hartals Jeopardising our fragile economy (repeat fragile' — what our Finance Minister thinks!)? Why not gherao the DCC for hurried decision or the Communication Ministry for shifting the pontoon bridge or the Home Ministry for attacking the party men (I cannot prescribe passive programmes like sit-in. hanger strike etc., simply because the opponent's reaction may be more passive M “
Tlnally. why do our electronic media (BTV and Bangladesh Betar) keep mum on hartal news? Why should we depend on foreign media for domestic news? Who are the ghosts in these national insti-tutions during every regime that deprive us of national news? How much collaboration and .'oiling' are needed to keep your Job alive? What for we are to pay taxes? — for your biased, imperfect and inadequate broadcasting?
MAS Molla Member BAAS Dhaka •
"French firm proposes US $400M waste management project"
Sir, Our attention has been drawn to a news published in The Daily Star and The Financial Express on the 24th of October. 1997, The Bangladesh Observer and Independent on the 26th October, 1997 regarding Solid Waste Management of Dhaka City by foreign company. It is gathered from the news items that both the companies are interested to convert the organic portion of the waste into compost using mechanical compost plant and incinerate the waste of the city. Undoubtedly, good quality of compost can be made from the organic portion of the city's waste using manual aerobic techniques. We already know that in Dhaka decentralised composting is successfully being carried out by NGOs using labour intensive and local technologies with community participation. Moreover, it is providing employment to urban poors of informal sector for the last three years in a sustainable manner and can be replicated in different cities of Bangladesh. In this connection, we would like to mention that the proposal submitted to the Mayor of Dhaka City Corporation by the foreign companies appears to have the following drawbacks:
if 1. Composting using mechanical methods and forced aeration has not been found cost-effective in the developing
countries due to various reasons; mainly Its high operation and maintenance cost. Due to high operation cost the per unit production cost of compost is also very high. For Instance, a recent study report by UNDP/Worid Bank Water Supply Simitatlon Group. South Asia New Delhi has shown that out of 11 mechanical compost plants in India only 3 are working at very low production capacities and the rest were forced to close down due to exorbitant cost and also because the selling price was much lower than the production cost.
2. Incineration of the city's waste is also found not to be cost-effective. This is mainly because the waste of Dhaka city contains high organic matter (more than 80 per cent organic matter), high moisture content (50.60 per cent) low paper and plastic contents and very low calorific >value. To burn this waste, extra amount of fuel will be required which is found not to be cost-effective. A self-sustained combustion reaction cannot be obtained from Dhaka city's waste, hence incineration wifi be prohibitively costy and in addition incineration of wastes will cause air pollution. None of our neighbouring countries like India. Pakistan. Sri Lanka which have similar waste composition are disposing their waste by Incineration. However, only the clinical wastes are incinerated which is only a minor portion of the city’s waste.
3. It is also found from the published news that the proposed investment of 400 million US dollars which is equivalent to taka 1800 crore under the BOT system and will be recovered in 20-year time. We are not sure about the whole calculation as to how this huge amount will be recovered in a such a short period of time. Moreover, the production cost of compost using mechanical plants are more than double than that of manual methods, and obviously beyond the affordable price (more than that of the chemical fertiliser) to the end-users of compost, that is the farmers. For these reasons. India and Indonesia have now started composting using manual labour-intensive technologies in decentralised way instead of capital intensive centralised large mechanical plant.
We would, therefore suggest to the Mayor of Dhaka city. LGRD Ministry and Ministry of Energy to consider the proposal very carefully as in case of waste management the technologies working well in the industrialised and high income countries will not work in Bangladesh mainly because the physical and chemical composition of the waste is totally different. Moreover, in case of Bangladesh labour-intensive technologies should be considered instead of adopting highly sophisticated mechanised imported plants which would neither generate employment nor help in poverty alleviation. If 1800 crore taka is coming from private sector with no financial involvement of the government. then this protect may be encouraged as all the risk factors mentioned above will be with this private company.
However. If there is any involvement of the tax payers money, then the government should think twice before approving this over ambitious project. Failure to take into account the above mentioned factors in case of waste management, the project may turn into a white elephant in future, as there are numerous examples of similar kinds of project that have failed due to wrong deci slons of the policy makers and imported foreign technologies in many developing countries.
Maqsood Sinha and Iftekhar Enayetullah Dhanmondi, Dhaka