Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina said her government has been working to make all the villages beautiful in a planned way by ensuring all the civic amenities alongside protecting bio-diversity as dreamt by Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman.
“It is needed to arrange all the villages across the country in a beautiful manner by protecting biodiversity and ensuring civic amenities to build “Golden Bangla” as dreamt by Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman,” she said on Wednesday (Aug 28).
The Prime Minister said it while witnessing a presentation on “Land Acquisition and Bio-Diversity Preservation Plan” in adjoining areas of Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman Memorial Complex at Tungipara of Gopalganj.
In this context, she said, “The civic amenities should be ensured not only in upazila and world level but also in each of the villages and my government has been relentlessly working to this end.”
The premier asked the authority concerned to take development programme to bear in the mind of protecting arable lands, saying, “Bangabandhu wanted to arrange villages with building houses in one side of the villages keeping arable land on the other side.”
Prime Minister’s Adviser HT Imam, Mashrafee Bin Mortaza MP, Prime Minister’s Principal Secretary Md Nojibur Rahman, PM’s Press Secretary Ihsanul Karim, Tungipara Upazila Chairman, Mayor of Tungipara Municipality, five union chairmen of Tungipara upazila, local leaders of Awami League were present on the occasion.
The four-year project “Land Acquisition and Bio-Diversity Preservation Plan” will be implemented by the Local Government Engineering Department LGED at a cost of over Taka 395 crore.
The presentation was held at the Prime Minister’s Office in the capital with Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina in the chair. LGED Chief Engineer Md Khalilur Rahman gave the presentation.
This project is being undertaken as part of the ongoing “Important Urban Infrastructure Development Project (2nd Phase)” involving Taka 3465.50 crore and this will be implemented in 281 municipalities across the country from January 2018 and December 2021 at the directives of the Prime Minister.
Under the project, road development, construction of the bridge, culvert and drain, land acquisition and rehabilitation, preservation of bio-diversity, digging canals, reconstruction of river banks, renovation of ponds/lakes/canals, beautification, tree plantation, and other infrastructure development, as well as installation of street lights, will be done.
The Prime Minister has also apprised of the latest condition of some important development works at Tungipara municipality areas undertaken by the LGED.
The development works included the constriction of Sheikh Russell Children Park (completed), re-digging and beautification of Tungipara-Patgati Canal (completed), beautification of ponds of Tungipara Upazila Complex (completed), construction of Patgati Kitchen Market (ongoing),construction of Tungipara Kitchen Market (completed) and construction of multi-storied building (proposed), completion of the uncompleted works of a graveyard (completed), opposite to Sheikh Russell Children Park, reconstruction of the mosque at Tungipara Bazar (proposed), and construction of new Tungipara Bus Stand (ongoing).
Stressed the need for taking development programmes through well-thought-out plans, Sheikh Hasina said, “Development is not only constructing establishments of brick and surki (construction materials) rather it is a way to take various programmes considering the need of the people and protecting the natural environment and biodiversity.”
The prime minister asked all concerned to take development programmes as per the need, saying, “Don’t take unnecessary development projects such as constructing needless bridges as they increase siltation that leads to the death of the rivers.”
She also asked to construct the embankments beside canals and rivers to that height it needs as it also contributes to the extinct of the rivers and water bodies which are the water reservoirs of the country.
The premier also inquired about the condition of the roads and other development works particularly in the villages in Tungipara, saying, “I want to develop my Tungipara constituency like the other lawmakers as its member of parliament (MP)”.