Local government, rural development and co-operatives minister and BNP secretary general Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir on Saturday underscored the need for an integrated plan to accelerate development activities of the local government engineering department.

Fostering patriotism and ensuring higher standards of work are vital to sustain country’s overall development momentum, he said while addressing a review meeting on the ongoing LGED projects at LGED Bhaban in Dhaka’s Agargaon.

State minister Mir Shahe Alam attended the meeting as special guest.

Speaking as the chief guest, Fakhrul stressed the importance of formulating and implementing rural-based integrated development plans aimed at improving the socio-economic conditions of local communities.

The state minister highlighted that development initiatives could be made more effective by limiting the number of projects while expanding their geographical coverage.

He also called for prioritising large-scale, integrated projects over scattered small ones to ensure optimal utilization of resources and achieve more impactful and sustainable outcomes.

The meeting was chaired by local government division secretary Md Sohidul Hasan.

A documentary was screened at the outset, showcasing LGED’s brief history and its ongoing development activities.

LGED chief engineer Md Belal Hossain and director general of the planning, monitoring, evaluation and inspection wing Md Mahmudul Hasan were present, among others.

Speakers at the meeting emphasised enhancing the quality of project implementation, preventing wastage of public funds and ensuring timely completion of all development works.