Graft key factor

Corruption, not fund shortage, is the main reason behind the precarious condition of roads and highways across the country, said the main opposition BNP yesterday.
It also said the emergency fund recently allocated for road repairs will go into the pockets of ruling party men as they are going to get the work without tender.
"The condition of roads and highways has worsened. About Tk 1,734 crore was allocated for roads and highways in last two and a half years but no work has been done. Members of the ruling party pocketed the money," said Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir, BNP acting secretary general, while addressing a press briefing at the party's central office at Nayapaltan in the capital.
Criticised for the dilapidated condition of roads and highways, the government has started road repair works across the country with an allocation of Tk 690 crore.
Referring to the argument between the finance and communications ministers over fund allocation, the BNP leader said they are trying to blame each other, which is really surprising.
"None of them resigned though the demand for their resignation has been raised even from the grand alliance," said Fakhrul. Now the repair works are going to be done without proper tender process, which means there will be hardly any useful work.
Altaf Hossain Chowdhury, Abdullah Al Noman, and Ruhul Kabir Rizvi, among others, were present.