Dhaka: State Minister for LGRD and Cooperatives Mir Shahe Alam today announced that five local government elections will take place in the country within the current fiscal year. A budget allocation of Taka 6,000 crore has been designated for these elections, as he informed reporters at the Secretariat following a meeting with Danish Ambassador to Bangladesh Christian Brix M¸ller.
According to Bangladesh Sangbad Sangstha, the Danish envoy met with LGRD and Cooperatives Minister Dr Abdul Moyeen Khan and State Minister Mir Shahe Alam at the Secretariat earlier in the day. During the meeting, Shahe Alam mentioned that a discussion with the Election Commission (EC) is scheduled for next week to deliberate on the local government election matters, pending approval from the prime minister.
The state minister emphasized that the Election Commission will determine the schedule and date of the polls. Following the discussions with the EC, the ministry plans to conduct a briefing on the local government elections.
Shahe Alam also highlighted Denmark’s support in water supply as a primary topic of discussion during the meeting. He stated that Denmark will assist in managing water supply in the capital, particularly by contributing to the third phase of the Sayedabad Water Treatment Plant project. Denmark will provide Taka 4,500 crore for the Taka 16,000-crore project. Of this assistance, Taka 1,500 crore will be a grant, while the government will repay the remaining Taka 3,000 crore over 20 years.
The state minister explained that the implementation of this project will enable the treatment of 95 crore liters of water from the Meghna River. Additionally, Denmark will contribute Taka 100 crore for the Rohingya community.