Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has underscored the need for proper utilisation of maritime resources for socio-economic development of the people of this region.
Her remarks came on Tuesday at the inaugural of the Second South Asia Maritime and Logistic Forum 2018 at Hotel Le Meridian in Dhaka, reports BSS.
“We don’t think only about our own country, we also give importance to the socioeconomic development of all the people in this region through regional cooperation and maintaining contact,” she told the audience.
Bangladesh is committed to improving navigability of the rivers and ensuring safe and secure river routes for transportation of people and goods, said the prime minister. “We have already opened initiatives like dredging.”
The prime minister said she hoped her administration will be able to adopt a “time-befitting work plan” for a maritime-based efficient and green transport system for Bangladesh.
Hasina said one of the key priorities of her administration was restoring the primacy of inland water transport as it’s cost-effective, energy-efficient and environment-friendly. “We’ve taken steps to reopen the closed river routes.”
Citing expert opinions, she said that Bangladesh can save Tk 7.5 billion annually from using waterway to transport cargos rather than highways before adding that the estimated cost of dredging rivers was Tk 600 million.
Quoting official figures, Hasina said that the total import and export through waterways was 43.17 million tonne in 2010-11 fiscal, which has increased to 73.21 million tonne in 2016-17.
On settling the maritime boundary issues with Myanmar and India, she said, “It’s estimated that Bangladesh has acquired 118,813 square kilometers of the Bay of Bengal. The areas of resources include 200 nautical miles of exclusive economic zone and over 354 nautical miles of resources on seabed.”
Bangladesh shipping ministry and the Colombo International Maritime Conference Events and India’s Gateway Media Pvt Ltd jointly organised the two-day event to attract investment in infrastructure and innovation of new technology in the shipping sector.
“I hope that the Forum will play an important role in socioeconomic development of the people through augmenting the region’s trade and commerce,” Hasina told the inaugural ceremony.