He made the call while speaking as chief guest at a discussion meeting on the department's development activities held at the LGED building in Agargaon in the capital on Saturday. Local Government State Minister Mir Shahe Alam was the special guest at the meeting.

The minister said government officials are custodians of public resources. Therefore, responsibility, proper planning, and effective implementation must be ensured in every development project. He emphasised achieving more results at lower cost by making maximum use of limited resources.

He also said that under the initiative of former Prime Minister Begum Khaleda Zia, LGED initiated a new trend in rural infrastructure development. He expressed hope that under the leadership of Prime Minister Tarique Rahman, the people of the country would enjoy the benefits of the current development plan in the next 20 to 30 years.

Mentioning the important role of LGED officials in developing rural infrastructure and settlements, the minister called for implementing development plans prioritising the welfare of grassroots people.

Local Government State Minister Mir Shahe Alam said the use of bricks in rural road construction should be reduced and the use of uni-blocks and CC blocks increased. He emphasised using ‘vetiver grass’ to prevent soil erosion on riverbank and flood-prone roads, as well as using RCC, carpeting, and local stone as needed.

He directed the installation of solar panels at local government institutions including union parishads, upazila parishads, and markets. He also said there is an opportunity to reduce costs and increase the income of local institutions by supplying surplus electricity to the national grid through net metering.

The meeting was attended by Secretary of the Local Government Division Md. Shahidul Hasan, Chief Engineer of LGED Md. Belal Hossain, along with senior officials of the ministry, executive engineers from various districts, project directors, and upazila engineers.