When the inhabitants of the char areas in Lalmonirhat's Kaliganj upazila first heard that under the Rupkalpo 2021 project the government would be providing 400 solar panels for public lighting and to struggling families in their remote communities, they were naturally pleased. But excitement has turned to frustration since, despite funds having been deposited with the Kaliganj administration months ago there is little sign of progress.

"We heard there is a government fund for installing solar panels at the houses of the most struggling families, as well as in mosques, temples and markets on the river islands," says Mansur Ali 55, a farmer from Bhotmari village. "For reasons unknown nothing has happened. Nobody knows when the solar panels will be installed."

"Our children really find it difficult to study at night without proper lighting," says Delowar Hossain, 48, a farmer from the Teesta River island village of Kalikapur. "As we can't afford to buy our own solar panel, we were waiting eagerly for the government's promised help. So far we're still in the dark."

"I hoped to get a government solar panel for my home," says Akhter Hossain, 58, a farmer of Shoalmari river shoal in the Teesta River. "I waited until 20 September but the wait proved futile so I installed one at my own expense."

According to The Daily Star sources, a budget of Tk 90 lakh to fund the project reached Kaliganj upazila on 30 June 2016, on the eve of the new financial year. The money, earmarked as the "Solar Panel Installing Programme" was deposited with Kaliganj upazila branch of Sonali Bank in a joint account with the upazila nirbahi officer and project implementation officer as signatories.

"We received the government funds for installing solar panels according to the government's direction," said project implementation officer Rashedul Islam. But when asked earlier this month why no implementation had taken place thus far he fell silent.

However, upazila nirbahi officer, Shahinur Alam, claimed fifty percent of the project's targeted 400 panels had already been distributed, with the remainder to be distributed within two weeks. "Implementation has been late," he said, "due to problems with the solar panel providers."

Similarly, Lalmonirhat's district relief and rehabilitation officer, Idris Ali, says he heard from the project implementation officer in Kaliganj that although delayed due to local problems, implementation of the solar panels had begun.

Yet according to project implementation office sources, distribution of the first 120 solar panels to project recipients finally occurred last on October 6, several days after the above assurances were given.