Punish those involved in Kushtia Medical College project anomaly: PM
The prime minister has directed authorities concerned to take action against corrupt officials even if they have already retired
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has given directives to punish those engaged in corruption in the Kushtia Medical College and Hospital construction project.
The prime minister said this at a meeting of the Executive Committee of the National Economic Council (Ecnec) held at the National Economic Council Conference Centre in the capital on Tuesday.
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At the end of the meeting, Planning Minister MA Mannan said those who have engaged in corruption in the hospital establishment project would not be excused. The prime minister has directed authorities concerned to take action against corrupt officials even if they have already retired.
The Kushtia Medical College Hospital construction project started in 2012. Although the work was supposed to be finished in three years, it has not been completed in 11 years, the minister added.
At the beginning of this year, when the second project amendment proposal was submitted to the Ecnec, the prime minister did not approve it and asked to know the reasons for the delay and those responsible for it.
Consequently, a probe committee headed by Pradeep Ranjan Chakraborty, secretary of the Implementation Monitoring and Evaluation Division, inspected the project construction site and sent a report to the Prime Minister's Office.
The committee has found irregularities in several aspects of the project including the invitation of tenders and the construction of academic and hospital buildings.
At the ecnec the meeting, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina asked the Ministry of Health and the Ministry of Housing and Public Works to take action against those involved in the irregularities and to complete the work quickly.
In the absence of foreign aid, the prime minister wanted development projects implemented using foreign exchange reserves, the planning minister said.
"Our foreign exchange reserves are over $46 billion which can be borrowed but must be repaid in foreign currency," the minister added.
In the meeting, the prime minister also said that development work should be done uniformly across the country so that people do not complain anywhere that they are being neglected.
