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No need for fund 'with tag of lies'

PM waits on WB to prove Padma graft charges first

UNB, Dhaka
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina yesterday asked the donor agency concerned again to prove the allegation of corruption in the Padma bridge project saying that the government will not accept its fund for this mega project unless it
can establish the accusation.
“The allegation of corruption will have to be proved. If not, we won't accept the fund of that agency for the Padma bridge," she said while addressing the 19th National Convention and 35th Council Session of the Institute of Diploma Engineers, Bangladesh (IDEB) at Bangabandhu International Conference Centre (BICC).
As a dignified nation, Hasina said, Bangladesh cannot move ahead accepting any fund “with a tag of lies”. The government has already decided to construct the mega project by any country, individual or company, she added.
The World Bank, the lead financier and coordinator of the project, temporarily suspended its $1.2 billion loan in September last year raising the allegation of corruption in appointment of contractors for the bridge.
Citing different conditionalities imposed by the donors for providing funds, she said the donors impose conditions one after another. “The development projects having foreign funds could not be implemented timely for this terms and conditions.. .government-
funded projects move smoothly compared to the donor-aided projects.”
Following a government request, the premier said, the AntiCorruption Commission (ACC) probed the graft allegation in the Padma bridge and found no corruption in appointment of contractors.
Hasina also voiced her strong resolve to make the country self-reliant instead of being aid dependent. “If we can properly utilise the resources we have, it won't be impossible to achieve proper progress.”
Appreciating the army for foiling the recent coup attempt to topple the democratic government, Hasina warned that no one would be spared for hatching such a heinous plot. “The march forward of democracy in the country must remain uninterrupted.”
The prime minister also asked the diploma engineers to ensure proper utilisation of taxpayers'
money through their honesty, efficiency and dutifulness so that the development activities in the country are properly implemented. "You'll have to ensure that the development programmes undertaken with taxpayers' money are implemented properly,” she said.
Hasina mentioned that around 85 percent funds of the government's development activities are spent through the engineers.
"Proper utilisation of public resources as well as maintaining qualitative standard of the development activities depend on the honesty, efficiency and dutifulness of engineers," she said.
She said the government has taken steps to turn manpower into human resources.
IDEB general secretary Shamsur Rahman gave the welcome address at the inaugural session with IDEB president AKMA Hamid in the chair. The theme of the 19th
National Convention of IDB is “People-oriented information technology will change the economy.”
The prime minister alleged that the country was deprived of free access to the information highway through fiber optic cable due to the lack of farsightedness policy and failure of the previous BNP-Jamaat government. “Later, the country had to get this connection spending huge money.”
She claimed that the country is on the path of achieving food autarky due to the integrated management in the agriculture sector. “Export earnings are still growing despite the global recession and the per capita income has already exceeded $828.”
As part of the government's move to develop physical infrastructure in the country, especially tackling traffic congestion in the capital, she said some flyovers and express-
ways are under construction to this end while the Dhaka-Chittagong and Dhaka-Mymensingh highways are being upgraded to the four-lane ones.
She said the government would take necessary steps to implement the recommendations of the high-level committee formed in 1997 to resolve the profession-related problems of the diploma engineers.
Hasina said steps have been taken to impart training to people for creating skilled manpower through establishing technical training centres (TCCs) under the Labour and Employment Ministry.
She said the present government for the first time has introduced vocational course in 1,800 private high schools across the country.
Earlier, the Prime Minister distributed IDEB crests to five dedicated diploma engineers for their outstanding contributions to their respective fields.