Staff Correspondent

State Minister for Local Government, Rural Development and Cooperatives Mir Shahe Alam on Tuesday said the Local Government Engineering Department (LGED) would be brought under the cadre system in line with the long-standing demand of engineers.

He said the prime minister had given directives in this regard, adding that the process of bringing LGED under the cadre system had made considerable progress.

The state minister made the remarks as the chief guest at the inauguration of an orientation and training course for appointed assistant engineers of LGED at the Kamrul Islam Siddique Auditorium of the LGED Bhaban in Agargaon this noon.

He said the proposal for bringing LGED under the cadre system had already received preliminary approval at a pre-ECNEC meeting. The government had taken earnest initiatives to implement the cadre inclusion process quickly.
    
Urging the engineers not to switch to other cadres -- including police, foreign affairs and VAT -- through the Bangladesh Civil Service (BCS) examination, the state minister said they should continue to compete through their merit and qualifications in both academic and professional fields.

He expressed delight at the number of female engineers, among the newly appointed assistant engineers.

Calling on the young engineers to remain conscious of their responsibilities, Mir Shahe Alam said development projects worth Tk 1.20 lakh crore are currently being implemented across the country through LGED.

He cautioned that no quarter should be allowed to exert influence to serve its own interests.

The state minister said infrastructure built with public money must be sustainable and bring tangible benefits to people. He stressed ensuring 100 percent quality in construction work.

He also urged the newly appointed engineers to maintain professional relations with contractors and discharge their duties with honesty and dedication, without showing any laxity or negligence.

Senior Secretary of the Local Government Division Md. Shahidul Hassan chaired the programme organised by LGED. LGED Chief Engineer Md Belal Hossain attended the event as a special guest.

Senior officials of the ministry and the department, along with 176 newly appointed assistant engineers participating in the training course, were present.