Staff Correspondent

Local Government, Rural Development and Cooperatives Minister Dr Abdul Moyeen Khan has stressed the need to undertake development projects by giving the highest priority to public interest and properly assessing their feasibility.

“Projects should be planned in a way that enables the maximum number of people to benefit from them,” he said while addressing a meeting with Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) Chief Representative Junko Takahashi at the Secretariat here on Tuesday.

The meeting discussed the progress of various ongoing JICA-funded projects under the Ministry of Local Government, Rural Development and Cooperatives and ways to expand future cooperation.

Describing Japan as one of Bangladesh's largest development partners, the minister thanked JICA for Japan's continued support for Bangladesh's development and called for undertaking new projects and expanding cooperation to further strengthen local government institutions.

Highlighting the importance of conducting feasibility studies before undertaking development projects, the minister cited the metro rail project as an example, saying that extending the service to Tongi or Joydebpur would have enabled more people to benefit from it.

He also called for greater caution in assessing the feasibility of projects aimed at developing the haor regions.
JICA informed the meeting that projects were underway in various sectors in collaboration with the ministry, including community services, water supply, sanitation, regional development, waste management, disaster management and haor development.

The JICA chief representative assured the minister of further cooperation in these areas.

The meeting reviewed progress in the Urban Development and City Governance Project (UDCGP) and the Southern Chattogram Regional Development Project (SCRDP), which are being implemented in collaboration with the Local Government Engineering Department (LGED).

The minister directed the authorities concerned to ensure the timely implementation of the projects within the stipulated timeframe.

JICA also assured the ministry of its fullest cooperation in implementing the Upazila Governance and Development Project Phase-II (UGDP-II), which is to be implemented in all upazilas across the country through the Local Government Division.

Emphasizing the importance of strengthening local government institutions, the minister said democracy must be established at the grassroots level to strengthen democracy across the country. He added that there was no alternative to enhancing the capacity of local government institutions in this regard.

The minister directed the formation of a committee comprising representatives of development partner agencies and the ministry to strengthen coordination among development partners and make the process of undertaking development projects more effective. The committee will coordinate the planning of various development projects and related activities.

JICA Senior Representative Morikawa Yoko, Local Governance Adviser Akira Munakata, Director General of the Planning, Monitoring, Evaluation and Inspection Wing Shibir Bichitra Barua, and senior officials of the ministry were present at the meeting.