Quamrul Islam Siddique. An engineer, who dared to connect almost all the villages of Bangladesh with cities, 20 years ago, and literally laid the foundation of smart Bangladesh. Quamrul Islam Siddique, the shaper of rural infrastructure, passed the earthly world and started his journey to eternity 14 years back. On the 14th anniversary of his death, the former adviser to the caretaker government and currently the Executive President of the Power and Participation Research Center, Dr. Hossain Zillur Rahman said, “I had a very good relationship with him personally. If we see the wider picture, we must say, we have not yet been able to offer him the due dignity or recognition he deserved for his meritorious thinking and dedicated role in the multi-dimensional development of Bangladesh today. It is our total failure.”
“That’s when he coined the term smart. He came up with a definition of smartness out of conventional and catchy concepts. Smartness to him was ‘always thinking towards solutions, not just stating problems ‘; Finding solutions in the domestic context”, he added.
By giving an example of this, he said that by making the first connectivity revolution in 2001, he established a ‘ghat’ or center in the world of information technology by connecting the government and common people in the Union Parishad offices. When there was no broadband or digital connection, still he took the initiative to create information technology-based service centers from 10 such ‘ ghats ‘ in North Bengal including Gobindaganj, Bogura, Panchbibi, Sherpur, Kushtia. In that sense, he also started the concept of today’s digital information service center.
Dr. Iqbal Habib, one of the country’s greatest architects, echoed with Hossain Zillur Rahman. He said, we are getting the benefits today as a result of the present government’s solidarity with his plans and ideas. But even after he showed that it was possible to do it completely, we have not been able to complete his visionary tasks due to the importance of petty thoughts like profit. For example, while he was the South Asia Regional Chairman of the World Bank’s Global Water Partnership, his dream of drought and flood prevention has yet to be secured. Today the river is turbulent due to its adverse reaction. It had to be washed away due to untimely flood some time ago. Also, installing solar power plants were started in this country as an alternative source of electricity as a renewable energy by his hands. As a result, Bangladesh is the world’s largest consumer of solar energy at the individual level. As the government has extended this project through shredders, it is reaping its benefits in today’s power crisis.
Hossain Zillur Rahman mentioned that Quamrul Islam Siddique will be deemed as a ‘role model‘ for many such reasons and said that he has played a huge role in the transformation of rural Bengal. He understood long ago that isolation was one of the causes of economic backwardness. By eliminating this, he has made the feeder road and increased the social and economic boundaries of the people of the country and taken it to the world level. Because the people of the village today go to different countries in the world and are sending remittances. He was unique in connecting villages with cities. He was more than a public servant or a bureaucrat or a professional, Quamrul Islam Siddique was a bright star. He should be called our Karmaveer. Because, he not only just started the project and set a precedent by completing it on time. This is how he succeeded in developing LGED engineers as professionals with a different mindset.
Expressing his regret over the lack of national recognition despite playing an exemplary role, the distinguished economist, who is the chairman of the private service provider BRAC, said, “But I am very sorry that we have not been able to present the achievements of those who have truly played a role to the new generation. We could not give him any recognition. We did not evaluate him. This is our national failure. Hopefully, we will collectively try to overcome this failure even if it is late.”
Bangladeshi emeritus professor and expert on water resources and climate change Dr. Ainun Nishat said in a very disappointed tone, “He was an engineer. And now the country is run by administrators. BCS Admin Cadre. Admin cadres dislike engineers. So getting the status or respect he deserves is out of the question. Because this country is not ready for him.”
Engineer Quamrul Islam Siddique was born on January 20, 1945 in Kushtia district. After secondary and higher secondary, he started his career by passing civil engineering from Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology- (BUET). When the liberation war started in 1971, he took up arms. After nine months of victory in the liberation war, he started anew the struggle to build the country.
In 1977, he obtained a higher degree in Urban and Regional Planning from the University of Sheffield, United Kingdom. As the founder and chief engineer of LGED, he worked tirelessly to develop rural infrastructure and became a legend of infrastructure development. In 1999, Quamrul Islam Siddique was also successful as chairman of PDB. He had a dream of building a modern urban structure. He was not only a dreamer, but also an artist of dreams.
Quamrul Islam Siddique was named Person of the Year by the International Road Federation in 1999 for his special contribution to road connectivity in Bangladesh. In recognition of his work, he received many awards including Bhasani Gold Medal, Poet Jasim Uddin Gold Medal, IEB Gold Medal, Shere Bangla Gold Medal, and Bangabandhu Engineer Gold Medal.
On September 1 in 2008, this energetic man breathed his last at the age of 63. This man has performed his duties with undying devotion. Quamrul Islam Siddique will live among the people of the country only through his work. DigiBangla family pays deep tribute to him on his 14th death anniversary. Villages of Bangladesh including marginalized people are paying tribute to him with honor. Although there is no national event, there was a special prayer in the afternoon at the LGED, a dream organization built by him.