Rail lines all the way to Barisal Division: Hasina

Sheikh Hasina has said she will deliver on the promise to take the rail lines all the way to Barisal Division in southern Bangladesh.

The prime minister says trains will run in phases to popular tourism haunt Kuakata in Patuakhali, new seaport Payra and Mogla Port in Khulna.
 
She spoke of the plans on Thursday at a programme in Ganabhaban where she launched 51 development projects in 10 districts through video-conferencing. 
 
Hasina said her government planned to build a Bangladesh-wide railway network. “Barisal has never seen trains. We will take rail lines there.”
 
“Rail lines will go up to Kuakata, and from there to Mongla. We’ll be able to build Payra port.”

The prime minister inaugurated Bangladesh Railway’s Tongi-Bhairabbazar double-track project.
 
The scheme has increased the double-track segment to 249 kilometres on the 320-kilometre Dhaka-Chittagong rail route.
 
Hasina asked Railways Minister Mujibul Hoque, who was at the Bhairab end during the inauguration, to work for prompt construction of a rail network in Barisal Division.
 

She said, “Once railway was dying. Whatever the reasons; the BNP-Jamaat (-e-Islami) coalition government neglected it. They also took steps so that rail lines would gradually close.”

The prime minister said her government is giving importance to railway as it is a means of low-cost transport of people and goods. 

At the event, she opened four power plants with a combined production capacity of 535 megawatts and inaugurated a project which would give power connections to around 6,000 houses in Gopalganj’s Kotaliparha.

Hasina said developing communications system, increasing electricity production, ensuring food, education and healthcare for all and fulfilling the basic rights were needed for the socio-economic development of the country.
 
“Our target is to supply power to every house. Electricity has covered 76 percent of the population.”
 
The prime minister said her government had undertaken a mega project to augment power generation to 60,000 megawatts by 2041.
 
She also inaugurated Sheikh Kamal and Sheikh Jamal bridges in Patuakhali and 16 others in Sylhet, and several other projects in Narayanganj City and Joypurhat district.