Jahangirnagar University Planning Review ISSN 1728-4198 Vol. 17, June, 2019, pp. 123-135 123 Is Public Participation a Myth or Reality in Rural Development Projects?- A Case Study on Rangunia and Raozan Upazila in Chattogram Md. Rakibul Hasan Kauser *1 , K. M. Asharaful Islam 1 , Rokshana Binta Samad 3 , Fowzia Gulshana Rashid Lopa 2 & 3 Abstract Rural development is pre-requisite for balanced development of any country. Around 80% people live in the rural area of Bangladesh and among them 40% people live below the poverty line. This represents that rural areas of Bangladesh are lagging behind in development process. Lack of public participation is one of the factors responsible for this situation. Most of the government projects fail to achieve their goal due to lack of public participation. The aim of the study is to investigate the exiting scenario and the barriers of public participation in rural development projects at two Upazilas in Chattogram. Direct questionnaire survey and key informant’s interview have been done for primary data collection. Through analysis, this study found that illiteracy, communication gap and lack of coordination between different government bodies is responsible for this matter. Finally, this study will identify the gap and problems of public participation which help to minimize the failure of government project. Keywords: Public participation, Food for work, Illiteracy, Problem tree. 1. Introduction Bangladesh is a poor country with nearly about 40% of its population living below the poverty line (World Bank, 2003). Developing countries like Bangladesh, the mass of the people live in the rural areas. People try to live close to the local government institutions such as Upazila Parishad (Sub-district council) and Union Parishad (Sub-district council) which are introduced in Local Governance Regulation in 1982 by the Government of Bangladesh (Abdullah, 2006). The purpose of these institutions is implementing development programs for the rural areas with the engagement of local people. In these development programs the involvement of local people can develop the accountability of the authority and make the program transparent. But in Bangladesh, to foster people’s participation, reforms in local government bodies and governing systems have been going on for more than two decades. 1 Lecturer, Department of Urban and Regional Planning, Chittagong University of Engineering and Technology, Chittagong-4349, Bangladesh. 2 Graduate Teaching Assistant, University of Lethbridge, Canada 3 Assistant Professor, Department of Urban and Regional Planning, Chittagong University of Engineering and Technology, Chittagong-4349, Bangladesh. Corresponding Author: e-mail: rhkauser@gmail.com