Local Government Minister Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir on Monday said the government would review the Public Procurement Act (PPA) to prevent contractors who allegedly benefited during the previous “fascist” regime from continuing to secure public works contracts.
The minister made the remarks in Parliament while responding to a notice under Rule 71 concerning an urgent matter of public importance raised by BNP lawmaker Ashraf Uddin (Narsingdi-2).
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Ashraf alleged that many contractors who had received numerous projects during the previous government still enjoyed strong profiles in the electronic government procurement (e-GP) system, enabling them to outcompete newer contractors and companies.
He claimed that such contractors often remained behind the scenes, securing contracts and subsequently selling them through multiple layers before the projects eventually reached local operators. This practice, he said, encouraged the use of substandard materials and compromised construction quality.
“We are aware of these issues,” the minister said. “We have already discussed the matter with the Prime Minister and the Finance Minister. We will consider how the law can be reviewed to ensure that deserving and appropriate contractors receive these opportunities.”
During the discussion, Deputy Speaker Kaysar Kamal observed that the issue was affecting many stakeholders.
Earlier, Ashraf urged the government to prioritise local contractors over those from other districts or divisions in projects implemented by the Local Government Engineering Department (LGED), arguing that non-local contractors often created implementation challenges.
In response, the minister said LGED implemented a wide range of development projects, including rural roads, bridges, culverts, educational institutions and market infrastructure, under established procurement rules and regulations.
He explained that procurement was generally conducted through two methods in accordance with the Public Procurement Act and Public Procurement Rules (PPR).
Under the Limited Tendering Method (LTM), only contractors from the respective district are eligible to participate, leaving no scope for contractors from outside the district. Under the Open Tendering Method (OTM), however, contractors from both within and outside a district may qualify for contracts if they meet the stipulated experience and technical requirements.
“Public procurement laws and regulations are properly followed in all cases,” he added.
Meanwhile, reserved-seat MP Nilufar Chowdhury called for the recovery of parks and playgrounds in Dhaka’s two city corporations as well as in all divisional and district towns across the country, and urged authorities to free them from the influence of drug users and criminal elements.
Speaking on another notice of urgent public importance, she said parks and playgrounds that once served as safe recreational spaces for children, young people and the elderly had increasingly become centres of drug trading, illegal hawking and anti-social activities.
“In many cases, playgrounds have been occupied, while some parks are being used for commercial purposes under the guise of children’s recreation facilities,” she said, adding that such spaces were no longer safe for ordinary users.
Nilufar also alleged that many playgrounds in Dhaka existed only on paper, having been occupied by various structures, clubs, markets and even trading hubs.
Responding to the notice, the local government minister said many open spaces and playgrounds had been occupied for partisan reasons during the previous government’s tenure.
He said the current government had been working to recover such facilities since assuming office.
According to the minister, most parks and playgrounds under the jurisdiction of the Dhaka South City Corporation had been under illegal occupation before the current administration took office.
“After coming to power, the government brought these parks and playgrounds back under city corporation management and initiated various development activities,” he said.
The minister added that there are 256 parks and playgrounds in Dhaka under the ownership of city corporations and other agencies, and efforts are underway to recover them and gradually make them suitable for sports and recreational activities.