Austerity for people, but luxury for govt officials?

The recent decision to build "luxurious residences" at the cost of Tk 42.85 crore for the cabinet and principal secretaries by the housing and public works ministry is one of the most outrageous decisions that has been taken by this government in recent times – and that is saying a lot. At a time when government high-ups, including the prime minister herself, have been repeatedly telling the public to practise austerity, under what justification did the government undertake such a project? Why should the public be suffering under strict austerity measures, while government high-ups enjoy such luxury? Such an atrociously expensive project funded by the taxpayers' money makes a mockery of the so-called austerity measures. 

Are we living in a democratic system where you have citizens and public representatives, or are we back to living in feudal times, where you had lords and ladies living in their big mansions, while the peasants and serfs were left to fend for their own safe drinking water?

Project documents indicate that the estimated cost of the two three-storey buildings is Tk 18.88 crore. Another Tk 22.5 crore will be spent on the interior and exterior designs and a service building. Each of the three-storey buildings will be built on 18,000 square feet, and will have two swimming pools, which would cost another estimated Tk 5.1 crore. When half of Dhaka city does not have safe drinking water, why do public servants need such huge swimming pools in their houses? Are we living in a democratic system where you have citizens and public representatives, or are we back to living in feudal times, where you had lords and ladies living in their big mansions, while the peasants and serfs were left to fend for their own safe drinking water? This project makes it look like we are living in the latter system. 

We understand that top secretaries should have houses. But why should it cost taxpayers nearly Tk 43 crore? Even if we were living in normal times – and not in a time when there is a severe economic crisis – how can such a project be justified? Are we one of the richest countries in the world that such luxury should be afforded to public servants? We just cannot believe what we are reading and seeing in regard to this proposal. And we really fail to understand the mindset of the people who had the audacity to propose it, let alone those who approved it. 

This project, in many ways, reflect the general tendency of the government to waste thousands of crores of taka at a time when the country's economy and the people in general are suffering. While people are being told to swallow the austerity pill, we see no sign of government officials cutting back on their own costs or trying to be more efficient when it comes to completing different government projects using taxpayers' money.

We strongly call on the government to scrap this project, and get rid of such a ludicrous idea altogether.