DHAKA, Aug 19, 2024 (BSS) - Adviser to the interim government on the Ministries of Planning and Education Dr Wahiduddin Mahmud today said that an indiscipline situation is now prevailing in the ongoing development projects while the government would take urgent steps after scrutinizing those.

"It's urgently needed to scrutinize the ongoing projects, because right at this moment the condition of those projects is like one kind of indiscipline situation," he said.

Dr Wahiduddin said this while briefing reporters after holding his first view-exchange meeting with the high officials under the Ministry of Planning held at the NEC Conference Room in the city's Sher-e-Bangla Nagar area.

He said that the interim government came at a time when there was indiscipline in many sectors of the country and there was a need for reforms in those sectors. "Some decisions are needed right now," he said.

The Adviser said that making the economy stable is a big matter right now for the interim government and it is related with the planning commission. "We have to also reduce the inflation," he said.

Dr Wahiduddin said that they are thinking on how to reduce the public expenditure to avert high budget deficit.

"There is indiscipline... one is in big projects with foreign funds where there are some problems in the negotiation level. As a result, a big amount of money that is coming from the donor organizations can't be utilized," he said.

He said that there are some projects which are yet to get started, some are at the mid-level while some are at the finishing level.

"One portion of the projects was taken for the respective constituencies, some are in the queue to go to the ECNEC for approval. We're saying that those have to be scrutinized," he said.

The eminent economist went on saying, "Because, the projects which don't have priority and have doubt about the outcomes of these projects, we've to evaluate those projects very quickly and we've to cut them off," he said.

Regarding the mega projects, the Planning adviser said that there are extensive irregularities in design, expenditure and in timeframe.

"Some of these irregularities are for our lack of skills, some of them have big corruption taking side of the conductors," he added.

In this connection, the renowned economist said that everyone knows that many infrastructural projects which could be done at lower price, but due to lack of proper evaluation, implementation and faulty design those had been redesigned. Side by side, their timeframe has been extended which lead to wasteful of resources.

"Everyone knows that Bangladesh has many projects which spent the highest amount of money in the world per unit. What was the motive of those projects coming from various ministries. Will those projects be really beneficial for the people?"

The Adviser also said that focus would be given to avert those projects in the future.

He also informed that the interim government has a team to look after the whole economic system of the country.