BSS, Chittagong
Ministers and lawmakers at a roundtable here today pledged to work together to revive the past glory OF Chittagong through executing a time-befitting development programme and exploiting maximum economic potentials for turning the port city into a regional trade and investment hub.
They said the government of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina is quite aware about a proper uplift of the port city as the PM herself has taken the responsibility of accomplishing the task.
Responding to the questions raised by the participants, the legislators said they would work unitedly for expediting the development agendas of the region sinking political and ideological differences in line with Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s commitment for changes.
The Daily Azadi, one of the country’s prominent and oldest newspaper, arranged the roundtable discussion titled ‘The Commitment to Changing the Days: Perspective Chittagong’ in Chittagong Club auditorium this morning. Shipping Minister Dr. Afsarul Amin, Industries Minister Dilip Barua and State Minister for Foreign Affairs Dr. Hasan Mahmud spoke at the discussion and replied queries from the participants. Lawmakers including former ministers-Eng. Mosharraf Hossain, Barrister Anisul Islam Mahmud, Jafrul Islam Chowdhury and others- ABM Abul Kashem Master, Nurul Islam Bsc, Mainuddin Khan Badal, ABM Fazle Karim Chowdhury, MA Latif, Shamsul Haq Chowdhury and Moulana Mohammad Shamsul Islam, among others, took part in the discussion.
Editor of the Daily Azadi MA Malek made the welcome speech while media personality Mohammad Jahangir moderated the discussion. Diplomats, academics, economists, leaders of different political parties, social and professional organizations, entrepreneurs and editors were present in the three-hour roundtable beginning at 11.30a.m.
The roundtable virtually turned into a mini parliament of the region as a cross section of people sitting around the ministers and lawmakers made suggestions and raised questions relating to future planning for the development of Chittagong, seaport, infrastructure facilities, maximum utilization of airport, development of Dhaka-Chittagong road and rail communications, adequate supply of electricity and gas.
The participants pointed out that economically prosperous and politically and culturally rich Chittagong has gradually lost its glory due to continued step motherly attitude and negligence.
They also viewed that leading personalities in different fields specially the incumbent political leadership should convince the policy makers about the reality that development of Chittagong region means the development of rest of the country.
Courtesy: thebangladeshtoday.com
