The World Bank’s recent approval of $300 million dollars to Bangladesh in strengthening our urban local government institutions’ capacity to respond to the pandemic is good news as the funding can go a long way in helping us reinforce not just our Covid-19 measures but also help some of the most underprivileged people in our cities.
Around 329 municipalities and 10 city corporations will have the provision to receive funds bi-annually from the project to improve critical urban services delivery of facilities and infrastructure, local economic recovery, and preparedness to climate impacts, disaster and future disease outbreaks.
Given how labour-intensive the project appears to be on paper, it can really help restore the livelihoods of the poor and vulnerable, especially those who were particularly hard hit by the Covid-19 pandemic and the ensuing restrictions.
However, as is the case for most such fundings, strict monitoring is all but a necessity in ensuring that the money is used in the way it is supposed to and that it does not fall prey to the kind of corruption and red-tape that exists within our bureaucracy.
There is absolutely reason to worry in that regard, corruption within every rank of our administrative hierarchy is ubiquitous and it is entirely possible for the money being granted to slowly be siphoned off by unscrupulous individuals who are unable to see anything beyond their own gains. And such malfeasance exists in pretty much every rung of our bureaucracy.
This project is far too important for it to succumb to corruption.
Strict monitoring and accountability at each and every endpoint of this project needs to be ensured by the administration, and even the slightest hint of irregularity needs to be detected and those responsible need to be made examples of without any delay.
Alongside our development ambitions, it is necessary that we keep in mind the underclasses to whom that development means next to nothing because they are so disadvantaged. It is through projects and initiatives such as this that these sections of our society can finally rise up.
We cannot fail them any longer.