DNCC men can’t spend taxpayers’ money to learn the use of fogging machine abroad

Four government officials including a ward councillor of Dhaka North City Corporation visited Germany August 17-23 for training at pulsFog, a prominent thermal fogger manufacturer; although they are not directly involved in anti-mosquito drives, they raise the eyebrows of many.

The people claimed the German company which recently supplied 100 fogging machines bore their cost, though nothing comes free in the capitalist world.

The foreign training comes at a time when the country has been grappling with a record-breaking surge in Aedes mosquito-borne dengue outbreaks.

Entomologists said sending bureaucrats for the training makes no sense.

The training could have been conducted in Dhaka rather than in Germany.

A more logical choice would have been to send individuals directly involved in mosquito control efforts, including fogger operators, entomologists, and health officials from the DNCC, for the training.

Some 2,608 dengue patients were hospitalised in the last 24 hours at different hospitals across the country, 892 of whom were in Dhaka.

With the new cases, the total number of dengue patients rose to 130,302. Of them, 60,484 are in Dhaka.

Currently, 8,845 dengue patients are undergoing treatment at different hospitals across the country, of which 3,928 are in Dhaka.

Due to the dollar crunch, the government in September imposed conditions on foreign trips and asked to follow austerity in planning and executing foreign trips.

In Germany, the trip of the officials is ethically unaccepted as it might open windows of corruption and nepotism.

In Bangladesh, foreign trips of government officials are considered a waste of money depending on various factors, including the specific goals of the trips, the outcomes achieved, and how efficiently public funds are used.

It’s essential for governments to be transparent about the purpose and outcomes of foreign trips.

Accountability mechanisms should be in place to ensure that officials are not using such trips for personal gain.