Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina yesterday urged people to be patient as her government is trying relentlessly to solve their problems.
"Problems will be... but there is no reason for frustration. We will solve them," Hasina said in her concluding speech for the 10th session of this parliament.
She said her government is working to fulfil the ruling alliance's electoral pledges to ensure Bangladesh's speedy transition into a developed country by 2021.
In the run up to the ninth parliamentary elections held in December, 2008, her party announced the polls pledges styled "A charter for change". People extended their wholehearted support to the Awami League for the pledges, she said. She claimed that the government is carrying out development activities one after another in all key sectors in line with the electoral pledges.
"We are very much hopeful that we would be able to fulfil all our election pledges during our tenure," Hasina said.
In her around one-hour speech, the prime minister narrated before the House the reasons behind price hike of essentials, the sorry state of roads, horrifying traffic jams, shortage of power and deterioration of law and order.
She said the last governments--the BNP-led government and the caretaker government--did not do anything to improve power generation, reduce traffic jams or stop price spiral of essentials.
"We are trying to bring discipline in all the sectors by improving the situation," the premier said.
"No repair or maintenance work took place since 2001 causing poor condition of roads. Now, the situation is so bad that it needs an allocation of the entire national budget of a year for repairs," Hasina said, adding that her government spent a limited amount of money for repairing roads as it had to spend more to ensure food security.
"Now the government has taken up a project of Tk 1,400 crore to repair the roads," she said.
She said movement of overloaded trucks was one of the major reasons for damaged roads, and bridges and urged the owners of trucks and transport agencies not to overload vehicles. "They should keep in mind that the roads were built with public money," Hasina said, adding, "We have a lack of civic sense." She urged the finance minister to allocate funds for purchasing at least eight weighing machines for vehicles to monitor the nuisance of overloading.
On driving licences she said many educated and gentlemen took driving licences without taking tests.
She blamed some well-off families for traffic jams. She said in other countries people drive to work and come back home but here some families use multiple vehicles for doing the school runs, going to work, going shopping etc. She said those chauffeur-driven cars run around in the city all day causing congestion.
"Use of vehicles should be limited. Blaming the government alone for traffic jams will not do," she said.
The premier suggested that the finance minister impose higher tariff on car imports in the next fiscal year.
Hasina strongly criticised the main opposition BNP for boycotting the House proceedings.
Source : The Daily Star
