Govt to prioritise paving rural roads amid neglect, corruption concerns: Fakhrul

Local Government, Rural Development and Co-operatives Minister Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir has said that rural road development remained limited due to "unlimited corruption" under the previous "fascist" government and favouritism during the interim administration.

Responding to a supplementary question from Bagerhat-4 MP Md Abdul Aleem during the question-answer session in parliament today (29 March), the minister said many roads in rural areas remain unpaved.

He said the current government has taken initiatives to pave these roads, adding that they will be upgraded in phases.

Replying to another supplementary question from Rangpur-4 MP Akhtar Hossain, the minister said the present government realised within a month of taking office the extent of corruption carried out in the name of development during the previous administration.

He further alleged that those in charge during the interim government had diverted funds to their own constituencies, leaving regions, particularly in the north, neglected in terms of road development.

Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir said a BNP-led government would not tolerate such corruption and would prioritise improving rural roads and overall connectivity.

Earlier, Akhtar Hossain said the condition of roads in his constituency is poor, with people unable to reach their homes properly during the monsoon due to deteriorating infrastructure.

He added that farmers in char and other areas suffer financial losses as they cannot transport their produce to markets on time due to the lack of roads.

Presenting the statistics, he stated that in Kaunia, only 198 km of the 535 km of roads are paved, leaving 337 km unpaved, while in Pirgachha, 251 km of 842 km are paved, leaving 591 km unpaved.

Overall, across the Rangpur-4 constituency, just 489 km of the total 1,377 km of roads are paved, with 888 km still awaiting development, he added.