Staff Correspondent

Chittagong Hill Tracts (CHT) Affairs Ministry Secretary Mohammad Mizanur Rahman on Tuesday  said that all development projects under the ministry must be completed strictly following rules and within the stipulated timeframe. 

He emphasized that while thousands of applications are submitted against a single scheme, the correct projects must be selected based on specific guidelines, public interest, and priority. He added that the scope of work must be defined within the allocated budget to ensure structured implementation.

 The CHT Secretary gave these directives while presiding over a steering committee meeting to review the progress of ongoing development activities in various upazilas of Khagrachhari district, held at the ministry's conference room in the Bangladesh Secretariat today.

The Secretary  further noted that only genuinely public welfare-oriented projects should be adopted in line with budget allocations, warning that taking on an excessive number of projects makes it impossible to maintain the proper quality of work. He therefore urged the selection of the right schemes on a priority basis from among numerous applications

The steering committee meeting held detailed discussions on the approval and progress of five major projects under the Khagrachhari Hill District Council. For market modernization, a project worth Tk 2.50 crore has been taken up to expand and repair the fish, meat, and vegetable market in the heart of Khagrachhari town. In the education sector, the projects include the construction of the 'Khagrachhari Ideal School and College' building in Ward No. 5 of Khagrachhari Municipality, alongside the establishment of 'Khagrachhari English Voice School' adjacent to Mohila College Road in the district sadar with a total allocation of Tk 2.50 crore to expand quality education.

To renovate religious places of worship, a total allocation of Tk 2.10 crore has been designated to complete the unfinished works of eight Buddhist Viharas, including Babuchhara Bouddhaniti, Baradam, and Baghaichhari in Dighinala upazila. Additionally, a Tk 1 crore project has been approved to distribute cows, goats, and pigs through women's associations to make distressed women self-reliant across Khagrachhari district.

The meeting was attended by MoCHTA Additional Secretary Md. Monirul Islam, Joint Secretary Atul Sarkar, Deputy Secretary Mohammad Shamsul Haque, Deputy Secretary Md. Salahuddin, and Khagrachhari District Council Chief Executive Officer Md. Ilias Mehedi. Furthermore, senior officials from the Planning Division, Finance Division, and  Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change joined the review session virtually via the Zoom platform.