Local Government Engineering Department

Local Government Engineering Department (LGED) provide technical assistance to Union Parishads, Upazila Parishads, Municipalities and City Corporations in planning, implementation and monitoring of local level infrastructure and also responsible for planning implementation and maintenance of certain categories of infrastructure like Upazila road, growth centre, rural market, Union Parishad and Upazila Complex Building etc on behalf of respective Local Government Institution. Rural Infrastructure that contributes towards rural development was mostly underdeveloped and poorly maintained.

LGED was created for reduction of rural poverty the rural development programme aims at increasing income through productive employment generation in the rural areas and rural infrastructure development including development of communication, marketing network and increasing agriculture production to boost up economic activities. In early 1960s present concepts of rural development were primarily conceptualize and programmes like Rural Works Programme, Thana Irrigation Programme and Two-Tire Co-operatives etc. were launched through Union councils, District councils and Thana Central Co-operative Association. Thana Training and Development Centers were also established. A Cell was established at local Govt. Ministry level in 1970 to intensify the rural infrastructure development activities. The need to establish a proper organisational hierarchy were felt to support for planning, implementation and monitoring of all kinds of infrastructure development activities of Local Government Institutions.

As a first step, an Organisation titled 'Works Programme Wing' was created in 1982 under development budget to administer local level infrastructure planning, implementation and monitoring nation-wide, which was converted into Local Government Engineering Bureau (LGEB) under revenue budget in October, 1984 as a permanent executive agency headed by its Chief Executive designed as 'Engineering Adviser' with offices in all the districts and upazilas. Local Government Engineering Bureau (LGEB) was upgraded as Local Government Engineering Department (LGED) in August 1992 headed by Chief Engineer. Late engineer Quamrul Islam Siddiqe was the architect and founder of Local Government Engineering Department (LGED) and he was the founder-engineering adviser of Lged and Chief Engineer of Lged. This department is working under the administrative control of the Local Govt. Division of the Ministry of Lged and Co-operatives. Lged is also providing support of Ministry of Primary and Mass Education for construction and maintenance of primary school and related infrastructure and supporting other ministers for implementing certain infrastructure at their request on case-to-case basis. [Md Shahidul Hassan]