‘If re-elected to power, flats to be built for slum dwellers’

Risingbd Desk: Prime Minister and Awami League President Sheikh Hasina on Monday unveiled her plan to upgrade the poorer people’s lifestyle in the capital saying if elected to power, her government would redesign the city’s congested areas and resettle slum dwellers in apartment complexes.

“The rich people alone will not live in the flats buildings, multistoried residential facilities will be made available for the people of mid and low income groups as well where they could live on daily, weekly or monthly payment system,” she said.

In her second such rally in the capital, Sheikh Hasina said initially 10,000 such flats would constructed for the lower income group while congested areas would be redesigned to make them suitable abode for higher income groups of people as well.

“If we are elected in the coming election, no people of the country will live below the poverty line. Every people will be able to live a descent life and we have taken the plan,” she said.

Awami League’s Dhaka South unit organized the rally to drum up support for candidates of the party and AL-led grand alliance in nine parliamentary constituencies within the purview of Dhaka South City Corporation.

Sheikh Hasina said once Dhaka City was reeling from acute water crisis while power rationing was a common phenomenon throughout 24 hours of the day prompting enraged people even to chase a local parliament member for their failure to resolve the water and power crisis.

“The Awami League government has settled the crisis,” she said.

The prime minister said Kamrangir Char was a most neglected part of the Dhaka where water logging was a very common problem while lack any sewerage system remained as a curse.

She said her government built necessary roads, pipelines, footpaths and drainage system resolving the water logging problem.

She said the Awami League government incorporated all 17 unions around Dhaka within the city corporation to facilitate them with civic amenities.

All road of the area are now lighted with LED light. A 31-bed hospital has been constructed in Kamrangir Char, Sheikh Hasina said her government simultaneously established many schools and colleges in Kamrangir Char while new academic buildings were constructed in six schools there.

Seven high schools were nationalized and students can appear in the public examinations from those school exam centres while six schools were brought under monthly payment order (MPO).

She said her government acknowledged Qawmi madrasas “dawah-e-hadith” as a post-graduate degree while the much expected Islamic Arabia University for further study in Arabic would be established in Kamrangir Char.

In the meeting the prime minister introduced the candidates of Awami League and Grand Alliance with the audience seeking vote for them on December 30 poll saying their victory was very crucial to continue the ongoing development.

Sheikh Hasina said the successive reelections of her party to power for two tenures kept up the national development spree despite BNP’s efforts to destabilize the country particularly in 2014 and 2015 which was failed in the face of people’s resistance.

Pointing out her government’s multifaceted plans to build Dhaka as a modern city she said if elected again her government would construct an elevated ring-road around Dhaka.

“All the five rivers around Dhaka will be re-excavated to improve their navigability and beauty,” she said.

The premier said the physical works on the elevated expressway and metro rail were kicked off by now and “our future plan is to construct underground rail while its feasibility survey has already been started”.

Sheikh Hasina said every neighbourhood must have a water body. She asked the mayor of Dhaka South to take a project to rescue and re-excavate the Kamrangir Char cannel which was party devoured and partly filled up with garbage.

Sheikh Hasina said a project was already finalized to renovate Dhaka Medical College and Hospital (DMCH) as a modern facility as part of her government’s extra emphasis on health sector that, she said, saw establishment of hospitals in every nook and corners of the Dhaka City.

“The foremost goal of our government is to change the lots of the people of Bangladesh, not making fortunes for ours . . . every citizen is enjoying benefits of the socioeconomic development under government initiatives and they are pursuing a better life than ever before,” she said.

The prime minister her government has established eleven new schools and colleges in Dhaka city. Many schools were nationalized improving their infrastructures, she added.

“Bangladesh has graduate d as a developing country from least developed status. We have to make the development sustainable. So, Awami League needs to stay in power,” Sheikh Hasina said.

The prime minister said Dhaka City has been divided into two parts and 17 unions were brought under city corporation to enable citizens enjoy all civic facilities.

President of Dhaka South City unit of Awami League Hazi Abul Hasnat presided over the rally while Mayor of Dhaka South Sayeed Khokan and candidates of nine constituencies spoke on the occasion.

Source: BSS


risingbd/Dhaka/Dec 24, 2018/Saif/AI