Quamrul Islam Siddique’s Legacy Deserves Academic Recognition
Engineer Shahidul Hasan, a long-time junior colleague of Quamrul Islam Siddique, has called for the inclusion of the legendary engineer’s life and work in academic curricula, alongside the establishment of a research cell at the Local Government Engineering Department (LGED)—the institution founded by Siddique himself.
Shahidul Hasan, a board member and acting treasurer of the Bangladesh Diabetic Association, made the call on 20 January, marking the 81st birth anniversary of the multifaceted visionary widely regarded as the architect of Bangladesh’s rural infrastructure development.
He said the country is in dire need of a far-sighted visionary like Quamrul Islam Siddique, though such leadership is no longer possible in person. “However, the concepts he introduced are now being implemented,” he added. Recalling his long association, Hasan said he began working alongside Siddique in 1977.
“He used to say that national development is impossible without rural development,” Hasan noted. “That is why he initially focused on improving rural–urban transport connectivity and market infrastructure. He developed rural markets into growth centres.” He added that Siddique also set exemplary standards in institutions such as the Public Works Department, Bangladesh Water Development Board, and Power Development Board.
Referring to Siddique’s role in urban planning, Shahidul Hasan said, “When he was entrusted with the Greater Dhaka Sustainable Urban Transport Project, the plans he laid out back then are now being realised through mass rapid transit systems, flyovers, metro rail and underground rail projects. At the time, few understood his vision, but today it is becoming reality.”
Drawing a broader comparison, Hasan argued that LGED and Quamrul Islam Siddique are equal partners in the Nobel Prize-winning legacy of Grameen Bank and Dr Muhammad Yunus. “Without the rural market system and growth centres, the expansion of microcredit and women’s employment would not have been possible,” he said.
Shahidul Hasan further stated that despite being a freedom fighter and possessing extraordinary professional achievements, it is unacceptable that Siddique has yet to receive the Swadhinata Padak posthumously. While this recognition did not come during the previous government’s tenure, he expressed confidence that a future government would take the matter seriously.
“I hope LGED will immediately restart the process,” he said.
DBTech/MUM/EK/OR
