Integrity and greater efficiency of the engineers and transparency in their work are a must to improve the services in the two sectors, the speakers said at the 36th annual convention of the Bangladesh Water and Power Engineers' Association (BWPEA) yesterday.

They said the efficiency of the engineers has gone down and they are not in touch with the people in development activities.

Held at the auditorium of the Institute of Engineers, the function was attended by Water Resources Minister Hafiz Uddin Ahmed, Bir Bikram, as chief guest and State Minister for Water Resources Goutam Chakrabarty as special guest.

Hafiz Uddin said many executive and superintendent engineers of Water Development Board do not stay in allocated houses in rural areas; they always want to stay at the district headquarters and the rest wants to stay in the city.

The minister informed the convention that a water bhaban would be built in the city's Green Road area.

Syed Abdul Moyeed, chairman of Bangladesh Power Development Board, said the economic progress is linked to the development of power sector.