Our Correspondent
The people of Barisal Division want development of Barisal Div under newly elected government and they made such expression while observing the 16th founding anniversary of the division on January 1. The people hope that the regional development programs in the region will be rightly taken by the newly elected government as soon as AL led government is sworn in power shortly.
In the out going year of 2008, this division remained in the national news items for completing trial of series bomb blasts and holding peaceful city corporation and national election rejecting the corrupt, terrorists, and evil design forces, and welcoming the new candidates in most seats.
Golam Mawla and Advocate Nazrul Islam Rajon, convener and member secretary of the ‘Barisal Bivagio Swartha Sangrakkhon Parisahad, Advocate Majibor Rahman Sarwar, former BCC Mayor and local MP said that it was very disgraceful that this division was ignored in the past in allocating development fund. “Still we have to organize public movement for the development of our region. We hope that according to the sizes of populations and areas, the new government will give importance to Barisal division in New Year,” they added.
AL leader and Mayor of Barisal City Corporation Shawkat Hossain Hiron said that Barisal municipality has been upgraded to city corporation as the divisional headquarter in 2002 and called new government for sufficient budget allocation and assured the citizens about transparencies in the development work on New Year.
Twenty-five square kilometers of the 45 square kilometers of the measure of BCC are the extended area and its development would be given most priority in New Year under new government, he hoped.
We are assuring the citizens about our continuous heartiest efforts for the changing the scenarios of city in next year under new government with accountabilities and transparencies in each and every sector and maintaining quality and continuity of development works, acknowledging all limitations BCC Mayor said with firmness. Advocate Majibor Rahaman Sarwar, former BCC Mayor and newly elected local lawmaker of the divisional headquarter, said new government should allot budget on the basis of the population and area of the City Corporations and division.
Ebaidul Huq Chan, former president of Barisal Chamber of Commerce and Industries and director of FBBCI, said that Barisal division yet not developed as a business or industrial zone while have sufficient potential of tourism, agriculture and fishing wealth potentials.
Export processing zone for flourishing business and employment in the region and supply of natural gas for domestic, industrial and commercial use and sufficient power generation is a must for regional development and expected from the newly elected government, said Abdur Rahim Khan, president of BCCI.
Sixteen years ago, on this day in 1993, Begum Khaleda Zia, the then prime minister inaugurated the fifth administrative division of the country named as ‘Barisal Bivagh’ consisted with 6 districts and 40 upazilas.
She laid the foundation of the Barisal divisional Secretariat at Ichhakati area of the city on the same day according to her election promise in 1991. As a divisional headquarter Barisal municipality has been upgraded to a City Corporation in 2002, but with out any city development authority, full pledged metropolitan police and magistracy and other facilities needed for a divisional headquarter status.
During this long period Barisal administrative division has achieved much development including air transportation links, Gaab Khan, Doarika, Shikarpur, Patuakhali bridges and mentionable developments in road communication sectors including starting construction of Kirtonkhola Bridge.
But still the road communications with different upazila and zila headquarters and Kuakata tourist zone is not satisfactory. There is no railway communication in this division and important bridges over at Lebukhali, Mohipur, Alipur and Bekutia yet to be constructed.
Barisal Radio Station, Patuakhali T V relay station, digital telephone exchanges, coverage of mobile phone and Internet links in mass and information communication sectors also been developed in this period. However Internet service providers at private sectors was not developed in this region.
A construction of a memorial of liberation war was inaugurated in Barisal city on this year Patuakhali Science and Technology University, education board and declaration of establishing a public university developed the education sector of this division within this period But still this division has no agricultural and engineering university.
With out Barisal Shere Bangla Medical College Hospital, there are no other standard and modern health facilities in the division. This reverine division has no dockyard and marine workshop and it’s river-ports facilities yet to be developed on standard level. Siltations of the rivers emerge of new shoals and problems in river transportation situation were deteriorated in the division in 2008. General law and order situation was developed in the division due to continuous operations of the law enforcers including RAB and six alleged criminals were killed in the cross fire in 2008.
Courtesy: thebangladeshtoday.com
