'Delay' in satellite project upsets PM

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina is upset with the ‘delay’ in the project to launch Bangladesh’s first satellite ‘Bangabandhu-1’.

Senior Correspondentbdnews24.com
Published : 13 July 2014, 11:27 AM
Updated : 13 July 2014, 12:48 PM

“There has been a lot of delay in this work,” she said, addressing the ministry of Posts, Telecommunications and Information Technology on Sunday.

“This is very late. You must accelerate this work. This should have been completed a long time ago,” said Hasina, expressing her displeasure.

Awami League after coming to power in 2009 initiated the process to launch the country’s maiden satellite. It signed a contract with US-based Space Partnership International (SPI) as part of the plan.

The satellite, named after the nation’s founder and Hasina’s father Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, will be sent to space in March 2017 if ‘all goes well’, said the prime minister.

The planning ministry has been given reminder so that it maintains schedule, she told officials of the Posts, Telecommunications and Information Technology.

“You need to show some courage while working for this project. You have to push it …”

“Do the task that you have been assigned with,” she said. “Remember that the government will stay for five years. Six months of that are already gone. We are in the seventh month now.”

“You have only four years and six months. You must finish everything by then.”

She mentioned plans to set up ‘ICT Villages’ in Dhaka’s Mohakhali, Rajshahi, Chittagong and Barisal as part of the government’s effort to develop the information technology sector.

Every district will have one of such villages or a software technology park, she said.

“Villagers’ demands in the past were limited to rice and clothes. What they want now is electricity, to tell you the truth. They say give us electricity. We are often faced with their questions about slow internet connectivity.”

“Their needs have changed,” said Hasina. “This means people are better off now. Their savings have gone up. They are no longer in the debt trap.”

Hasina reiterated that the past BNP government ‘deprived’ the country from establishing its rights over the Bay of Bengal.

“During 1996 to 2001, we had completed significant work towards establishing our sea rights. We had hoped that whoever succeeded us would take it forward. But it was unfortunate that they (BNP) did nothing for it.”

“If only they (BNP) took some timely measures, we could have had a particular part of the continental shelf awarded to us in this verdict.”

“Every task needs to be completed within a specific time,” Hasina told the ministry officials. “We were delayed because they (BNP government) couldn’t take the necessary steps. Actually they didn’t think about it at all.”