(BSS)- LGRD and Cooperatives Minister Dr Abdul Moyeen Khan today urged officials of the Local Government Engineering Department (LGED) to ensure optimum use of limited resources by preventing wastage of public resources.

“Government officials are custodians of public resources. They must have responsibility, proper plan and effective mechanism to implement a project effectively,” he said.

The minister said this at a discussion on the development activities of LGED at the LGED Bhaban in the city’s Agargaon area, said a press release.

State Minister for LGRD and Cooperatives Mir Shahe Alam was present as the special guest.

Dr Moyeen said merely making a plan is not enough, effective implementation is the most important aspect.

“As the country’s resources are limited, it is necessary to balance between needs and capacities to achieve maximum result at minimum cost, he said.

“All development plans should be undertaken considering benefit of the people and the realities at grassroots level,” he added.

The minister said at the initiative of former Prime Minister Begum Khaleda Zia, LGED had ushered in a new era in the development of rural infrastructure in the country.

“As a result, Bangladesh’s rural infrastructure has gone through a significant transformation,” he opined.

Dr Moyeen expressed hope that people would reap the benefits of the development plans being undertaken by Prime Minister Tarique Rahman.

Moyeen Khan said the key to the development of Bangladesh’s rural infrastructure and settlements remains in the hands of LGED officials.

Everyone must work together to implement the development plans of the government by giving priority to the welfare of people at grassroots, he said.

Speaking at the meeting, State Minister Mir Shahe Alam said the use of bricks in rural road development should be reduced and use of uni-blocks and CC blocks should be increased. Such materials should be used instead of bricks for small roads measuring six to nine feet in width, he said.

For the roads carrying heavy vehicles, priority should be given to using RCC materials and locally available stones during road construction, he observed.

He also instructed officials to use ‘binya grass’ to prevent soil erosion on riverbank and flood-prone roads.

Shahe Alam further said solar power generation should be increased by installing solar panels at local government institutions, including union parishads, upazila parishads, and marketplaces.

He said it is possible to reduce electricity costs and increase the income of local institutions by supplying surplus electricity generated through such systems to the national grid through net metering.

The state minister instructed the officials to give priority to installing solar panels at their respective offices.

Local Government Division Secretary Shahidul Hassan, LGED Chief Engineer Belal Hossain, senior officials of the ministry, executive engineers from different districts, project directors of ongoing LGED projects and upazila engineers were present at the meeting.