The main opposition BNP has claimed all the development initiatives including Mayor Mohammad Hanif flyover had been taken during the BNP led four party alliance, while Awami League government had simply hijacked them and called them their own.
“Only BNP is to be thanked for all the visible development projects in the capital. Those who do not want to give us due credit have hijacked our projects. We strongly condemn such falsehood,” Sadeque Hossain Khoka, former mayor and vice chairman of the party, said at a press briefing at the party’s Naya Paltan headquarters on Friday.
Khoka came up with the allegation just hours after the prime minister inaugurated the flyover.
“Jatrabari Flyover project was under to resolve the traffic jam in Dhaka when BNP was in office, as per direction of the then prime minister Khaleda Zia,” he said.
“This was the first project under public private partnership. Almost 40% work was completed in our term. The prime minister is saying today it is their credit, even though she only inaugurated an incomplete project.”
The BNP leader alleged that the government was taking credit simply by inaugurating the projects which the BNP-led four party alliance government had undertaken.
When asked whether Awami League did not have any development projects to its name, Khoka said, “It is true that the Khilgaon Flyover project was initiated during the Awami League government in 1996 and we completed the project.”
Adviser to the BNP chairperson Osman Faruk said the flyover’s cost had risen from Tk6.27bn to Tk21bn. “It is highly unusual in a PPP project. I think there should be an investigation to find out the reason behind the expenditure going up so high,” he said.
