Eyeing the Elections: MPs want more allocation for dev work

Several lawmakers have sought more allocations for MPs in the current and the next budgets for carrying out development work in their constituencies ahead of the next general election.

At a pre-budget meeting with Finance Minister AMA Muhith yesterday, they also expressed resentment over the sorry state of roads across the country and blamed “partisan contractors” for low quality of work.

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They said the roads have to be repaired before the upcoming election. 

Fourteen lawmakers attended the meeting held at the National Economic Council auditorium yesterday.

Awami League Lawmaker Abdus Shahid, also chairman of the parliamentary standing committee on public assurance, said all lawmakers got an allocation of Tk 20 crore each for five years for carrying out development work in their constituencies.

He recommended another tranche of allocation for the MPs by September this year to enable them to implement more development work.

Another AL lawmaker, Farhad Hossain, said the next budget should be prepared keeping the upcoming election in mind. 

He suggested that all MPs should be given an allocation of another Tk 10 crore each in the current budget so that they can fulfil people's aspirations.

Some lawmakers said the allocation should be made considering the population and size of a constituency.

The lawmakers now get allocations under three projects involving Tk 16,551 crore.

In one of the projects titled “Priority-Based Important Rural Infrastructure Development Project-2”, they are getting Tk 20 crore each for building roads and culverts in their constituencies over a period of five years.

The project was approved in July 2015.

Under another project, each MP gets Tk 1 crore over the same period for renovation of schools, mosques and temples.

Under the third project, all MPs receive allocations for construction and extension of 10 school buildings in each constituency. About Tk 10,649 crore has already been allocated.

The finance minister, however, did not give the MPs any assurance at the meeting.

The lawmakers also expressed dissatisfaction over poor condition of roads.

Ruhal Haque, former health minister and chairman of the parliamentary standing committee on science and technology, said highways are in a very bad shape in different parts of the country.

The road from Jessore to Satkhira is in a poor state even after maintenance work, he said.

Quality work cannot be expected from partisan contractors, he said, adding that money is being spent on construction and repair of roads but people are not getting desired benefits from it.

Former state minister for home Shamsul Haque Tuku also expressed displeasure over low quality of construction work.

“We want our people to get work. But it is not acceptable that they will do a sloppy job.”

He said syndicates have sprung up over getting contracts for development work. With political blessings, only two to three persons get all the contracts for development work in a district.

At the meeting, there was also a debate over rice price.

Citing his own calculation, Abdur Razzak, chairman of the parliamentary standing committee on finance ministry, said the cost of rice production is only Tk 22 a kg, and it could be a maximum of Tk 32 a kg after adding up all costs including that of transportation.

Muhith, however, said the statistics of the food and the agriculture ministries show that the production cost of rice is more than Tk 35 a kg.

He said there is little scope for bringing the rice price below Tk 40 a kg.

Some MPs said there is no need for including more schools in the Monthly Pay Order (MPO) system as an adequate number of schools are already on the MPO list.

However, State Minister for Finance and Planning MA Mannan differed with them, and said many schools have not been brought under the MPO in his area.

He said more schools should be given the MPO benefits in those areas that have only a few MPO-listed schools.