PM rejects Rajshahi Administrator’s France trip

Prime Minister Tarique Rahman has rejected a proposal for Rajshahi City Corporation Administrator Md Mahfuzur Rahman to visit France for training on energy-efficient street-lighting technology, while approving the participation of Executive Engineer (Electrical) ABM Asaduzzaman Sweet.

The decision came on Monday while the prime minister was reviewing a summary submitted by the Local Government Division regarding a proposed visit to France's Outdoor Lighting Application Centre, operated by Signify France.

According to officials, the visit was arranged at the invitation of Signify Bangladesh Limited to provide hands-on exposure to modern energy-saving street-lighting technologies. The proposal included the names of the Rajshahi City Corporation administrator and its executive engineer.

In his written remarks, Tarique said the knowledge gained from the visit would be beneficial if acquired by a qualified engineer directly involved in the work. He noted that the city corporation administrator is not an engineer and therefore his participation would not serve a meaningful purpose.

The prime minister approved the travel of the executive engineer and also advised authorities to seek technical support from local institutions, including Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology and other engineering universities, for similar innovation and technology projects.

Officials familiar with the matter said the decision reflects the government's emphasis on ensuring that state-funded foreign trips are limited to personnel with direct professional responsibilities and relevant technical expertise.

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The move follows previous decisions by the prime minister to curb what he views as unnecessary overseas travel at public expense, including the rejection of a proposal involving officials from Chattogram City Corporation to visit the United States to study mosquito-control measures.