BCCTF trustee board cuts solar street light projects

Bangladesh Climate Change Trust Fund trustee board on Sunday approved five projects, with the number of solar street light installation projects cut considerably.

The five worth Tk 18 crore got approval with an extension and without increased allocation at the 58th board meeting of the organisation amid an absence of eight board members out of 17, said officials.

Environment, forest and climate change minister Md Shahab Uddin, also chairman of the board, presided over the meeting.

The minister said that five projects including one about solar street light installation were approved.

Among the board members, only a minister out of six, two state ministers out of four, a secretary out of four and five representatives of board members were present, said an official that attended the meeting.

None of two individual experts were present at the meeting, he added.

According to the BCCTF quorum, one third of its members should be present to hold decision.

Among the five approved projects, the environment department, Chattogram district administration, Bangladesh Rice Research Institute, Sher-e-Bangla Agricultural University and Gopalganj district council each got approval of singular project.

The DoE will install four labs in four divisions to control air pollution while the BRRI to work on improving crops and technology, SBAU to expand rooftop gardening and Chattogram district council to build an eco-park and Gopalganj district council to install solar street light.

New Age on Friday published a report titled ‘Funds allocated to address Bangladesh’s climate vulnerability embezzled’.

The report focused on unjust climate fund allocation for solar street light projects as the BCCTF trustee board approved a total of 57 solar projects out of total 72 in its 57 meeting.

Officials said that after the report the board cut the solar street light projects in a big way.

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