In the northern district, the government is setting
up Bangabandhu Sheik Mujibur Rahman Aviation and Aerospace University
(BSMRAAU). Bangladesh will be able to make helicopters, aircraft and fighter
planes one day in the future from the aeronautical center in Lalmonirhat just
like the way the country can now build and export ships.
Prime Minister Sheik Hasina said this at the
opening ceremony of the intercity train Kurigram Express on the
Kurigram-Dhaka-Kurigram route on October 16, speaking to the residents of
Lalmonirhat through a video conference from Gono Bhaban.
The government wants to make the railroads
profitable, modernizing them to provide residents with all types of incentives
and services, including goods transportation, the Premier said while flagging
off the new intercity train via the videoconference.
She added that rail is the most convenient communication for the
commoners and all kinds of transportation systems-rail, water, air and road are
essential for a country. Therefore, a huge program has been implemented by the
government to spread railway connectivity to every division, including Barisal.
“Our goal is to bring the entire nation under
railway network, even the southern part. Construction of many new rail routes
and repairing of many old rail lines were carried out,” said the Prime
Minister.
The government will extend the railway network
to Barishal, Mongla in Bagerhat and Payra Port in Patuakhali, she added.
Newly-imported coaches of Rangpur Express and
Lalmoni Express were launched by the Prime Minister through the videoconference.
On this occasion, Obaidul Quader, Minister of
Road Transport & Bridges; Tipu Munshi, Minister of Commerce and Nuruzzaman
Ahmed, Minister for Social Welfare were present.
Minister of Railways, Nurul Islam Sujan
joining the videoconference from Kurigram also spoke at the launch.
The inauguration ceremony was moderated by Nojibur
Rahman, Principal Secretary; while an audio-visual presentation highlighting
the development of the country’s railways sector in the last 11 years was made
by Md Mofazzel Hossain, Railways Secretary.