The city corporations, municipalities and union parishads under the local government will soon start controlling the adulteration of foods through out the country.

LGRD & Cooperatives Minister Abdul Mannan Bhuiyan gave this directive yesterday while presiding over a meeting at the conference room of the Local Government Department.

A source present at the meeting said the government has prepared a draft amendment of 'Pure Food Ordinance' to control contaminated foods, which will be placed in the next session of the parliament.

The minister told the meeting that the government has given the responsibility to the local government ministry to control the adulteration of foods and asked the present mayors and others high ups of the local government bodies to start operations against the adulterators under the existing laws.

The meeting also discussed increasing manpower to strengthen the City Corporations. The minister assured the meeting to consider it.

State minister for LGRD & Cooperatives Ziaul Haq Zia, Khulna City Corporation Mayor Sheikh Tayebur Rahman, Rajshahi City Corporation Mayor Mizanur Rahman Minu MP, Barisal City Corporation Mayor Advocate Mujibur Rahman Sarwar MP, LGRD secretary AHM Abul Kasem, LGRD chief engineer Shahidul Hasan, representatives of Chittagong and Sylhet Mayor and high ups of concerned ministries were present.

Meanwhile, Bdnews adds the meeting also reviewed the progress of the development activities under different departments of the LGRD & Cooperatives ministry in the last one year.

Mannan Bhuiyan reminded the city corporation mayors and their representatives to pay the electricity bills and also requested them to pay 50 percent of the dues within the current year.

It is to be mentioned that DCC owes Tk 26 crore in electricity bills and Chittagong City Corporation Tk 42 crore, Rajshahi and Barisal City Corporations Tk 9 crore each and Sylhet City Corporation Tk 82 crore.

But Khulna City Corporation doesn't owe the Power Department.

The Local Government Department took up 130 projects in the annual development programme in the fiscal year 2004-2005. Among those, 121 are investment projects and nine technical assistance projects.

The expenditure is 96.38 percent against the allocation of Tk 4157 crore for the project work.

They expressed their satisfaction over the 100 percent expenditure against the project allocation for the four city corporations Chittagong, Sylhet, Khulna and Rajshahi.

Chief Executive Officer of Dhaka City Corporation said 90 drains have been cleaned to protect the Dhaka city from water logging.

He said the programme of cleaning the drains in phases is underway. Besides, the eviction drive of illegal settlements, including markets and shops beside the roads, is on going

Chittagong City Corporation Chief Engineer requested to approve the PP of the revised project regarding carpeting of the Chaktai canal bed.