The prime minister, Sheikh Hasina, on Thursday assured the people that her government was working sincerely to resolve the existing problems and urged them to keep their patience.
Pointing out the reasons for some basic problems such as soaring prices, traffic congestion, power shortage, run-down conditions of roads and highways and traffic accidents, she that the matters would be addressed and asked the people not to get frustrated.
'There are problems but we are working to address them. There is noting to be frustrated. You [people] keep your patience,' said the leader of the house in her speech that wound up the 10th session of the ninth parliament.
Hasina also said that the government had given priority to the food, agriculture and power sectors for which adequate fund for road repair could not be given.
She said that the damaged roads would be repaired before Eid but the road rehabilitation work would begin in the dry season.
'I suggested that the communications minister should not begin road rehabilitation work amid rainfall and he should wait for the dry season,' she said, adding that she instructed the minister to just fill the potholes and craters just for vehicle movement and asked the finance minister to release some more fund.
She said that all the money would go down the drain if the government wanted to repair the roads now.
As for run-down condition of the roads, she said that excessive rainfall and the plying of overloaded trucks were responsible for the situation and the government was planning to buy weighing machines to detect the overloading of vehicles.
She also said that the previous BNP government had allowed the establishment of CNG filling stations and other structures by the roads without keeping drains, which resulted in water stagnation on the road.
The prime minister said that an increased number of cars that ply the roads were responsible for the traffic congestion.
'It will not work if you [people] blame the government for the congestion. You also have a role to play,' said Hasina, adding that middle-class people who had no car were using a number of cars on becoming financially solvent.
The prime minister said that frequent traffic accidents were unfortunate but a number of people, including members of the so-called civil society, who drive cars did not have genuine licences or did not have any idea of traffic rules.
'We are planning to hold training for drivers who do not know traffic rules well,' she said.
Hasina said that her government had added 2,000MW of power in two years and a half and hoped that the power shortage would be also resolved gradually.
'We handed over power to the BNP with a generation of 2,000MW of electricity in 1996 but the BNP and the interim government failed to increase the generation even by a single megawatt in nine years,' she said.
The prime minister said that her party had assumed office when the whole world was mired in rescission but her government had tried to keep prices stable.
She said that although prices were high, the earning of the people had almost doubled.
She also said that the AL-led government was much hopeful that it would be able to keep its election-time pledges before it would serve out its tenure.
Source : New Age
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