Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Saturday (May 25) said her government is working so the dwellers of Dhaka can lead a beautiful life as she laid foundation stone of four development schemes under Dhaka South City Corporation (DSCC). "The people of this area (Dhaka particularly old Dhaka) will be benefitted and they can live a beautiful life, once the four projects are implemented. We're working to this end," she said. The development schemes are: a 10-storey Bangabazar Paikari Nagar Market, eight-lane Bir Muktijoddha Sheikh Fazlul Haque Mani Saroni from Postogola Bridge to Rayerbazar Sluice Gate, Nazrul Sarabor at Dhanmondi Lake and modernisation of the Huseyn Shaheed Suhrawardy Children Park, local media reported.
Briefly describing the development projects taken the overall development of the Dhaka, the PM said her government is working to make easy communication of other districts with Dhaka. "We want to build a ring road in Dhaka to make easy inter-district communication," she said.
The premier also said there was no significant road communication in east and west part of Dhaka. Her government has already built a metro rail, expressway alongside many other roads while several others metro rail are being constructed to ease road communication, she added.
Sheikh Hasina said she has always a relation with old Dhaka as they stayed on 8/3 Rajani Bose Lane after coming to the capital city first and then in Nazirabazar and Armanitola. "We have paternal affection with old Dhaka as Sheikh Rehana was born in the Mitford Hospital (in old Dhaka). So, we're working that the people of this area can live a beautiful life," she said.
As the people can get the services, she said her government has divided Dhaka into North and South.
The premier said that they are bringing the unions under the Dhaka North and South City Corporations and implementing development schemes to make sure improved life of the people of those unions by providing them civic amenities.
For the betterment of the city dwellers, she said they had shifted the Dhaka Central Jail to Keraniganj.
In the place of Dhaka Central jail, she said her government has built a museum, school and children park, adding that they are planning to construct an amusement park there.
She said they have allocated a place for building a beautiful campus for the Jagannath University having all the modern facilities as it has an education friendly environment. "We have already prepared the design of the Jagannath University. The work in this regard will end quickly," she said.
With opening of the construction work of the Bangabazar Paikari Nagar Biponi Bitan, the promise of the PM to construct a modern market at the site of the burnt Bagabazar Paikari Market by a devastating fire has come into reality.
A massive fire ripped through the capital's Bangabazar Shopping Complex on Apr 4, 2023, burning down over 2,931 clothe shops and ruining the livelihood of several thousand of traders just weeks before Eid. After inaugurating the construction work of the market, the PM said, "It will give you a scope to live afresh." She also assured of giving any financial assistance needed to build the market, saying that she had earlier provided grants to the fire affected Bangabazar market traders through mobile transactions.
A video documentary of the development projects under the DSCC was screened on the occasion. LGRD and Cooperatives Minister Md Tazul Islam, DSCC Mayor Barrister Sheikh Fazle Noor Taposh, Dhaka-8 constituency lawmaker AFM Bahauddin Nasim, and Local Government Division Secretary Muhammad Ibrahim also spoke at the function.
Sheikh Hasina called upon the Dhaka city dwellers to conduct their own part to make the city clean if they want to live a beautiful and healthy life as the government is doing its part. She asked all to clean their houses and its adjoining areas so water cannot be logged and become breeding ground of the mosquitoes.
The PM said they have ensured electricity for all and pure drinking water for most of the people and requested all to exercise austerity in using those. She reminded the countrymen that the BNP government had killed people as they demanded electricity, adding that one of its lawmaker was chased by the people.
The premier asked the countrymen particularly the city dwellers to plant trees in their own places if they have and even on the rooftop of their houses for balance of the environment. She also asked to bring every inch of land under cultivation and construct buildings in a planned way.
The PM asked the engineers and architects to devise plan avoiding intention to fill up ponds while implementing any project to protect water reservoirs.
Sheikh Hasina said the BNP-Jamaat alliance government had given nothing to the people rather introduced the reign of terrorism, militancy, corruption, drug and arms trading in the country. She said the Awami League had shut all the routes of arms trading to ULFA-like insurgency groups through Bangladesh after coming to power. So, peace has been prevailing in the seven states of India, she said, adding that Awami League has done that, and that is the biggest work.
