Govt. decides to connect BD with Asian Highway: PM

Activities of intelligence agencies to be coordinated, she says
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Wednesday told the House that the government has decided in principle to connect Bangladesh with the Asian Highway.
Replying to a question from treasury bench member Md. Shahiduzzaman Sarkar, she said the issue is now under discussion at the policy level of the government.
The Prime Minister said proposal relating to this matter would be sent to the Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP) after approval in the cabinet.
“The implementation works of the Asian highway would start immediately after getting approval of the ESCAP,” she added.
The Prime Minister informed the house that the ministry of communication has selected three possible routes for connecting Bangladesh with the Asian Highway.
The routes are- International Route Asian Highway-1 (Tamabil, Sylhet, Sarail, Kanchpur, Dhaka, Mawya, Bhatiapara, Narail, Jessore and Benapole), International Route Asian Highway- 2 (Banglabandh, Panchgargh, Rangpur, Bogra, Bangabandhu Bridge, Tangail, Dhaka, Kanchpur, Sarail, Sylhet and Tamabil) and the Sub-Regional Route Asian Highway 41 (Mongla Port, Jessore, Benapole, Banpara, Hatikamrul, Kanchpur, Comilla, Chittagong, Coxsbazar and Teknaf.
Meanwhile, the Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Wednesday said effective steps have been taken to coordinate activities of intelligence agencies along with their organizational restructuring.
Replying to a question from Workers Party President Rashed Khan Menon (Dhaka-8), she told the house that intelligence agencies could not provide any advance information regarding BDR mutiny.
“While reviewing the functional areas of NSI, DGFI, Military Intelligence (MI) and Special Branch (SB), it was known that the internal matter of BDR is not a part of their duties and responsibilities,” she said.
Besides, the Prime Minister said, these intelligence agencies have not enough manpower to do such type of job. Only, she added, a small team (four person) of DGFI remains attached to the BDR at the sector level to collect inter-border information.
Sheikh Hasina said the Rifles Security Unit (RSU) is responsible for maintaining internal security as well as collecting and analyzing intelligence information on smuggling. There is no coordination in exchange of information of RSU with other intelligence agencies, she said.
The Prime Minister said the involvement of general solders of RSU in the February 25 and 26 mutiny was revealed. For which, she added, the authority could not know the advance information on the BDR carnage.

Courtesy of The Bangladesh Today