This statement sounds good and very reasonable. The CE did not however say how much of the budgeted expenditure is regularly swindled when a new structure is built at the cost of the quality and longevity of the structure. This reminds me of my visit to the parliament house under construction at Islamabad, in late sixties. While being given a guided tour by the executive engineer, I asked my host "how come some of the roads and building structures do not last long while there are some others that do?" His answer was frank and simple. "While preparing the concerned budget we make sure of adding the extra cost for making the people concerned happy while keeping the needed construction cost in tact. Thus the quality of work is ensured. In case of poor construction the budget is kept at the actual level with no provision for the non-construction item. In this case the extra cost is met from the actual amount needed for the quality work."

At Dhaka we hear that the construction work of a government agency is of high quality for the budget takes care of the cost of the quality construction while making the provision for greasing the hands people concerned. Another experience we have had was a major repairing work of a 25 year old building. Before the news of allotment of fund for the repair work reached the institution concerned, an officer of PWD came running to announce the good news of the allotment of the fund. The urgency seemed to be on their side than the management. Without going in to the dramatic performance of a SDO, we may note that it was a poor work, a patchy work. A couple of years later the same building had to be repaired and renovated from the fund directly made available from and supervised by the donor. The VC of the university has reportedly said "I will suggest that the residents of the hall (Surya Sen Hall) remain careful"( Star City August 25). Our only response to this comment of the VC is 'we wish the then VC dished out such an advice to the hundreds of residents of the Jagannath Hall for saving themselves from being perished under the rubble of the age old structure.'