‘Develop human resource, not mega infrastructures for country’s growth’

Development of the country is not possible only with the construction of mega infrastructures if the human resources are not developed properly, noted economist Professor Wahiduddin Mahmud said yesterday.

"Without developing the human resources, the infrastructures will only eventually turn into skeletons."

Along with building the infrastructures, it is also important to find whether the structures would be able to attract foreign direct investment or not, Mahmud said.

He spoke at an event titled "Conversation with Professor Dr. Wahiduddin Mahmud" organised by the Economic Reporters' Forum at its office in Dhaka.

Some measures could have been taken as alternatives to some mega projects which have been constructed with foreign borrowing, he said.

If buses are allowed to stop in the proper places on the road and managed well, the traffic congestion will be eased to a great extent, the professor said.

It was not needed to spend so much money on the mega infrastructures, he said.

The government would not need to spend for eviction of river encroachers if the rivers could have been protected from the land grabbers, he said.

It was also possible to build environment-friendly communication system through riverways with low-cost projects, Mahmud said.