LGRD Minister
LGRD Minister directs WASA to fix water price in capital rationally
LGRD Minister Tajul Islam on Sunday asked Dhaka Water Supply And Sewerage Authority (Wasa) to fix the price of water in the capital rationally.
The minister gave the direction at the result presentation ceremony of technical study conducted by Dhaka Wasa for fixing zone based water price in the city.
“Water should be supplied to low income earners and slum-dwellers at a lower price than the people living in affluent zones,” he said.
He said “There is no scope to provide water to the rich at a lower price by taking revenue from the poor.”
Read: Dengue situation under control, says LGRD Minister
Not only water, service costs of other utilities like holding tax, gas, electricity should also be fixed based on different zones, the minister added.
He said no organization can run on providing subsidies. Wasa will fix the water price through a board meeting. It is not right to raise the water price irrationally as well as there is no scope to not assist in paying the rationally fixed price.
“It will be investigated whether the water price is rising due to corruption and it will not be tolerated,” said Tajul Islam.
Dengue situation under control, says LGRD Minister
Dengue situation in the country is still under control this year due to the combined efforts of the ministry, city mayors and people , said LGRD Minister Md Tazul Islam on Sunday.
“In the last two or three years, many people were infected with dengue and unfortunately some of them died. But overall, we were and still are in a good position compared to other countries including Singapore, Malaysia, Vietnam and the Philippines,” he said.
He was speaking at a programme 'Launching of 2020 Global State of the World Volunteerism Report: Strengthening volunteerism towards inclusive, balanced societies and support to SDGs in Bangladesh' at the Public Health Engineering Department in the city.
Also read: 60 more dengue patients hospitalised in 24hrs
Besides, Dhaka city is witnessing less waterlogging this monsoon as Dhaka Water Supply and Sewerage Authority (WASA) has handed over the canals to city corporations to evict illegal establishments on those, said the minister.
Re-excavation of the canals is also behind the end of capital’s waterlogging problem, he added.
Now, the main challenge in the whole country including Dhaka city is the proper management of waste, said Tajul Islam.
“We have already started working on it. The government has taken an initiative to generate electricity from waste and very soon this work will start all over the country including Dhaka, Gazipur, Chattogram and Narayanganj.”
Also read: Dengue: 73 patients hospitalised in 24hrs
LGRD Ministry, Disaster Management and Relief Ministry and United Nations Volunteers (UNV) and UNDP Bangladesh organised the event.
Sacrificial animal waste to be removed by 10 pm: LGRD Minister
The waste of sacrificial animals will have to be removed by 10 pm on the day of Eid-ul-Azha , said Local Government, Rural Development and Cooperatives Minister Md Tazul Islam.
The minister said while talking to journalists after a meeting with Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) Bangladesh Country Representative Mr. Yuho Hayakawa at the Ministry on Thursday.
Read: Sacrificial animal waste to be removed within 12 hrs: Atiqul
“From Eid morning sacrificing of animals will begin and disposing of the waste will start immediately after that. Directives have been given to Deputy Commissioners, District Magistrates, local representatives and others concerned to remove the wastes by 7 pm to 10 pm everywhere,” he said.
Tazul Islam urged all to visit cattle markets and celebrate Eid maintaining the health guidelines issued by the Ministry of Health as Covid-19 infection rate is increasing in the country.
“One of my instructions was to form a committee of 10 members headed by each ward councilor, which will work on any disaster including Covid . The city corporations have informed that actions have been taken in this regard,” he added.
Read:Skyrocketing fodder prices leave cattle farmers fretting ahead of Eid
Regarding the meeting, Tajul Islam said, “ JICA has expressed interest in financing the construction of Chittagong Water Supply and Sewerage Authority (WASA) sewage treatment plant and building communication between Matarbari coal-fired power plant at Maheshkhali and other areas. They have proposed to complete the two projects in Matarbari by 2025 at a cost of over Tk 6,000 crore”.
Steps taken for making rivers around Dhaka fit for navigation: Tajul
LGRD Minister Md Tajul Islam on Sunday said the government has taken steps to develop the rivers around Dhaka so more passener boats can operate to ease traffic in the capital city.
“The bridges over rivers around Dhaka are not high enough to allow vessel movement. Already the authorities concerned have identified some bridges and directives have been given to demolish those and make the rivers suitable for navigation,” he said.
Tajul was speaking at a function marking the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between the Water Development Board and South City Corporation in the city.
Also read: DSCC preparing integrated master plan to turn Dhaka into smart city, Tajul tells JS
He said the waterlogging problem in the city has eased this year due to the re-excavation of canals and eviction of illegal occupants
Tajul said most of the buildings in the city have no septic tanks. They have been warned, but response has been unsatisfactory, he said.
Also read: Decision on legal steps against GCC mayor to be known soon: Tajul
He also urged the authorities concerned to take strict action including shutting down the sewerage lines of those owners who refused to follow the government decision.
Re-excavated canals: LGRD Minister predicts less waterlogging in Dhaka
LGRD Minister Md Tajul Islam has said Dhaka dwellers can expect to face less waterlogging during the rainy season this year due to the re-excavation of the city’s canals.
He said Dhaka North, South and Chattogram City Corporations’ biggest problem is waterlogging. “We have taken initiative to hand over all the canals in Dhaka to the City Corporation to alleviate the waterlogging. We think we are now enjoying some of the benefits of handing over the canal,” he added.
Tejgaon, Shantinagar and many other areas of the city used to go under water during monsoon.
The minister was speaking at the 3rd Inter-Ministerial Meeting on prevention of dengue and other mosquito-borne diseases in Dhaka and Chattogram at the Secretariat on Sunday.
Asked how many canals have been recovered so far, the minister said, "We have handed over a total of 26 canals to the city corporations."
He said Dhaka South City Corporation (DSCC) has evicted illegal occupants over six and a half acres of land while Dhaka North City Corporation (DNCC) recovered 25 acres. “These works are in progress.”
Regarding the devastating flood in Sylhet, Tajul said, “We are always prepared for combating disasters.”
Read: Flood: Waters start receding in hard hit north-east districts
A committee has been formed from the LGRD ministry, convened by Joint Secretary Jasim Uddin, to deal with the floods. The committee will be in charge till next June 30. The duration will be extended if needed, he said.
Areas like Sylhet, Sunamganj, Jamalpur, Netrokona generally get inundated due to excessive rains as well as onrush of water from the upstream, Tajul added.
No organisation has given a forecast of how devastating the floods will be, except a warning, he said.
If the onrush of water from the upstream keeps flowing at this dangerous level due to the continuous rains, it may flood here in Dhaka too, he added.
“But we have to be prepared for any unfavorable situation and we are ready for all situations,” Tajul said.
Meanwhile, in response to a question on dengue menace, he said, "Both city mayors have made all our preparations to tackle dengue. They have adequate stocks of pesticides, medicines, and equipment they need.”
Cost of various projects to be revised, LGRD minister tells JS
LGRD minister Tajul Islam on Monday said the government will revise the cost of various projects considering the rising cost of construction materials including rod.He said this in parliament Monday, replying to a supplementary question from independent lawmaker Rezaul Karim.The minister informed the House that this will be done within the next one week to 10 days.“In that case the contractors will be interested to carry out works of different projects,” he said.In the supplementary question, Rezaul Karim said, MPs have received a special allocation of Tk 20 crore. But development works remained stalled due to increasing price of rod.
Also read: Cumilla city polls will be free, fair, and acceptable: LGRD Minister“The contractors are not working,” he added.He wants to know what alternative measures will be taken to break the stalemate.In response, the local government minister said prices of almost all commodities had risen worldwide due to two years of coronavirus infection and the ensuing Russia-Ukraine war.“Inflation in Bangladesh is much better than in the rest of the world. Even then the prices of construction materials including rods have gone up,” he said.The minister said he had raised the issue before the Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina at a recent meeting.
Also read: LGRD Minister calls for differentiated pricing of water for rich and poor“The Prime Minister has given instructions. According to that instruction, local government engineers following discussion with the officials of the finance ministry have taken initiative to re-fix the cost of different projects,” he added.In this case, Tajul Islam said that the contractors will be interested in working following extension of the project estimate.
Cumilla city polls will be free, fair, and acceptable: LGRD Minister
Local Government and Rural Development (LGRD) Minister Md Tajul Islam on Tuesday said the upcoming Cumilla City Corporation (CCC) elections will be 'free, fair, neutral, and acceptable to all'.
The Election Commission and the law enforcement agencies are active to hold the CCC elections in a free and peaceful manner, he said.
Tajul said this while briefing journalists after a meeting with US Ambassador to Bangladesh Peter D Hass at his ministry.
He said excitement prevails ahead of participatory polls and it is normal. “However, we don’t want any unwanted situation centering the CCC elections.”
Also Read: LGRD Minister calls for differentiated pricing of water for rich and poor
In response to a question, the minister said the Election Commission is firmly committed to holding the polls in a free, fair, and acceptable manner. The administration and the law enforcers will work under the Election Commission during the polls. The government is also committed to providing all kinds of assistance to the Election Commission.
He also said in the meeting Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) of the United States has expressed its interest to work in the development of the city health management of Bangladesh.
Peter D Hass said Bangladesh and the United States are good friends. Both the countries have had economic, social, and commercial relations for a long time.
The United States along with Bangladesh will work to resolve the bilateral and internal problems of the two countries, he added.
Parking on roads should be penalised: LGRD minister
People found parking their vehicles on the road haphazardly, should be punished instantly, said LGRD Minister Md Tajul Islam on Monday.
It is quite common in the city that many shops were set up occupying roads and vehicles were seen parked haphazardly which is the main reason behind traffic congestion, he said.
Tajul revealed this information while speaking at a dialogue on the title of ‘Unbearable tailback: What’s the solution?’ organized by Dhaka Utility Reporter’s Association (DURA) at Dhaka Reporters Unity.
The minister also urged the law enforcement agencies to go tough on it.
Also read: DU struggles to manage parking problems on the campus
Traffic congestion is common in many countries and many of these have managed to reduce it but it is difficult for us, he said adding “We have to identify the problem and search for a solution. Though we are not sitting idle, we are working on it.”
He also urged the authorities concerned to take steps to encourage people to use public transport as the number of private vehicles is increasing gradually.
“It is not possible for one organisation to resolve the traffic jam problems alone and if we work together it can be possible to reach its desired goal. The participation of common people is needed in this regard,” said Tajul.
It is needed to regulate the population in Dhaka city, he also said.
The government is approving a Detailed Area Plan (DAP) and through it Dhaka will be expanded, he added.
Also read: No respite from illegal parking in city
Replying to a question on whether any steps would be taken to hand over the traffic management to two city corporations, LGRD minister said “The two city mayors are interested in working more and we want to see whether they have the capacity to manage the traffic system.”
Traffic jam may spread to upazilas thanks to development: Minister
If Awami League remains in power for another five years, you will see traffic jam even in upazilas, said LGRD Minister Md Tajul Islam on Wednesday.
Since the Awami League came to power in 2009, the country's economic development has been going on and so private cars have increased on the roads, he said.
He came up with the remarks in response to a criticism of BNP MP Harunur Rashid over traffic congestion in the capital.
Participating in the discussion on the Zila Parishad (Amendment) Bill-2022, Harun said, “Dhaka has become a static city at present. You (Awami League) is in power for fifteen years in a row, but Dhaka city is now in a sorry state. ”
He said Dhaka city has become an unlivable city due to noise pollution, air pollution, water pollution, mosquito menace and catastrophe in waste management.
READ: Subways to be built in Dhaka to ease traffic jams: Obaidul
He said unplanned urbanization is going to turn not only Dhaka but the whole of Bangladesh into an uninhabitable country.
Harun said that it takes three hours to go to the Secretariat from home. Fasting people cannot come to their homes to break their fast during Iftar time due to huge traffic on roads.
“When Tarabi's prayers are offered in the mosques, the prayers are being interrupted due to bite of mosquitoes.”
Harun wanted to know what steps the government has taken to reduce such sufferings of people.
“If Allah saves Awami League for another term, then you will see that there will be traffic jam even in the upazilas,” he expressed his high hopes.
Tajul Islam said that everyone is moving to Dhaka as people are becoming self-sufficient financially. This has happened all over the world including in London, Tokyo and Kolkata.
“They have managed it. We are also working on it. The Prime Minister has given instructions. I was made the president of Detailed Area Plan. I am considering many issues there.”
World Bank keen on investing in rural development: LGRD Minister
The World Bank has expressed interest in providing USD 5-8 billion dollars in the development of rural infrastructure in Bangladesh, said Local Government and Rural Development Minister Md Tajul Islam on Tuesday.
He was talking to reporters emerging from a meeting with a World Bank delegation at the Secretariat on Tuesday.
Read: World Bank presents its areas of interest for future projects in Bangladesh
Tajul said that Bangladesh needs foreign funding in implementation of “My Village, My City” project and building of roads, bridges and culverts.
'My Village My City’ is a coordinated project that seeks to develop urban facilities for the rural people. Roads, bridges, culverts, sanitation system and supply of safe water are major components of the project, he said.
Read: World Bank approves $295 million to enhance Bangladesh’s digital economy
The bank is interested in financing in rural development programmes, the minister said.
He said the delegation also showed interest in providing financial assistance for building rehabilitation centres in cyclone-prone coastal areas.