Dhaka prepares to meet donor agencies’ consortium

DHAKA - Dredging its silted rivers and augmenting energy sources top Bangladeshs plans as it prepares to present its case before a consortium of donor agencies. Increasing regional integration is also on the agenda.

Bangladesh Development Forum (BDF), a consortium of donor agencies, is to meet here Feb 15-16.

While sharing waters with upper riparian India, Nepal and China remains high on Bangladeshs agenda, it has moved towards clearing rivers that have not been dredged for decades.

Dredging of the Brahmaputra was formally launched Sunday in Narayanganj district near the national capital by the district administration in collaboration with Bangladesh Inland Water Transport Authority, The Daily Star said.

Work at the Buriganga river that surrounds Dhaka began last month.

Dredging of rivers and water management were discussed during Prime Minister Sheikh Hasinas visit to New Delhi last month when India pledged $1 billion in line of credit for development of infrastructure.

The meeting of the BDF will be held after four years. Finance Minister A.M.A. Muhith held a preparatory meeting Sunday when a draft report was discussed.

“Increasing regional integration, especially in cross-border trade, transport and energy” form part of the report, finance ministry sources told the newspaper.

The government is thinking of taking different regional integration efforts involving India, Nepal, Bhutan and Bangladesh and cooperation of the development partners would be taken in this regard, an official said.

Muhith told media that the BDF meeting would be held in six sessions. Issues of governance, corruption, energy, power, agriculture, digital Bangladesh, water resources and river dredging will be discussed at the meeting.

The donors have over the years emphasised better governance in Bangladesh that ranks high on the international corruption chart.