DSCC given the short shrift

EDITORIAL

Shouldn't utility service chiefs be accountable?

That most chiefs of utility service-providing organisations choose not to attend coordination meetings called by the Mayor of South City Corporation is just shameful. Not only have they defied a direct order from the Prime Minister's Office, but their repeated refusals to attend the meetings are an insult to the mayor and the public.

The entire purpose of the meetings, as highlighted by the PMO circular, was to bring greater coordination among utility service providers which has been woefully missing to the grave detriment of citizens. The amount of time and resources that has been wasted over the years because of unplanned and uncoordinated construction and repair works, not to mention public money, is simply mindboggling. To take just one example, according to a World Bank report last year, Bangladesh has the highest road construction cost in the world even though its roads were largely substandard. And the main reasons for this, the report said, were poor monitoring by the concerned authorities and the resulting failure to complete projects within the designated timeframes.

In spite of all this, the fact that the chiefs of our utility service-providing organisations have remained so brazenly apathetic is completely unacceptable. What this indicates is that they are, perhaps, more concerned about their own interests, which is why they fail to keep costs down, as cost extensions would make more funds available to go into their own pockets. What else explains their failure to further inform the DSCC about the progress their departments have been making in implementing decisions taken during the meetings?

It is high time to hold the chiefs of these organisations accountable for not attending the meetings, and for any future failures by their organisations to provide high-quality and timely services to people.

• Courtesy: The Daily Star / Oct 15, 2018