A symbol of wasteful public spending

Of all the ways that government agencies can waste public resources, leaving ready buildings unused in a city so starved of space perhaps makes least sense. According to a report by Prothom Alo, this is what has been happening with a number of building projects in Dhaka. The issue here is not just the disuse or physical decline of these buildings but also the misallocation of public funds. The question is: why even build and then abandon them, and why is nothing being done about the mismanagement in these projects?

One of those buildings is Dhaka Tower, property of the Dhaka Zilla Parishad. This 20-storey structure, built at a cost of Tk 163 crore at the crossroads of Old Dhaka's Johnson Road, remains vacant for seven years. Reportedly, the building was constructed without proper approval and abandoned in 2016 after allegations of various irregularities surfaced. Since then, documents related to its construction and permits have been mysteriously missing, apparently so that those involved with the irregularities could be spared any trouble. Bottom-line: an expensive building has essentially become a burden now.

Similarly, a number of multi-storey buildings in Dhaka have been left unused by the relevant government authorities. Among them are a six-storey building complex, which cost Tk 194 crore, of the Ministry of Chittagong Hill Tracts Affairs, a 13-storey office building, which cost Tk 229 crore, intended for the Ministry of Science and Technology, and a 14-storey residential complex built by the convicted Jubo League leader and contractor GK Shamim. Some have been put to partial use, while others remain totally empty.

The lack of transparency and accountability in the utilisation of these properties is deeply concerning. It points to a corrupt work culture that plagues almost every stage of public-funded projects, starting from planning to procurement to construction to even beyond, as the plight of these building projects shows. This is not only unjust to the taxpayers who fund these projects; it also perpetuates a culture of wasteful, unaccountable spending, which has been bleeding our economy dry. We urge the government to take steps to properly utilise all buildings lying empty and pre-empt any such wasteful expenditure.