PM rejects RCC administrator’s France trip

Prime Minister Tarique Rahman has declined permission for the Administrator of Rajshahi City Corporation (RCC) to join a proposed visit to France aimed at gaining knowledge about new energy-efficient street lighting technologies. However, he has approved the participation of the corporation’s Executive Engineer (Electrical) in the tour.

The information emerged from the Prime Minister’s directive attached to a summary of the proposed foreign visit of two Rajshahi City Corporation officials, which was sent by the Local Government Division to the Prime Minister’s Office on Monday.

According to the directive, acquiring knowledge about modern street-lighting technology is a technical and engineering-related matter; therefore, the participation of an engineer alone would be effective. The directive stated:
“If an engineer acquires knowledge on this subject, it will be useful for the work of Rajshahi City Corporation. Since the Administrator of Rajshahi City Corporation is not an engineer, his participation carries no significance. Therefore, only the proposed Executive Engineer (Electrical) may attend the visit if necessary.”

The Prime Minister also advised that, in the future, innovative and technology-based initiatives of this nature should seek assistance from Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology and other engineering universities.

Sources said that the Local Government Division had forwarded a proposal to the Prime Minister’s Office seeking approval for the France visit of RCC Administrator Mahfuzur Rahman and Executive Engineer (Electrical) ABM Asaduzzaman Sweet. The visit was proposed at the invitation of Signify Bangladesh Limited to inspect Signify’s Outdoor Lighting Application Center in France and gain first-hand knowledge of new energy-saving street-lighting technologies.