This is the fourth part of an exclusive series on development initiatives that have changed the picture of the country’s 64 districts over the last decade and a half
The northern city of Rajshahi was long neglected and plagued by perennial erosion due to the mighty Padma River and growing unemployment. Most of the city dwellers had to lead a miserable life for ages.
Poor drainage systems, coupled with dilapidated infrastructure and communication sectors, added to their woes. However, gone are the days.
A glimpse over the city now clearly shows the changes that have come since 2009, thanks to proper development projects and far-reaching plans by the government.
People from all walks of life and different social strata are benefitting from the never-before-seen changes there.
Marginalized people, too, are among the beneficiaries, mainly because of upgraded communication from and to the “Land of Mangoes”.
A number of mega and major projects in the infrastructure, education, health, agriculture, and communication sectors have already been completed there.
Let us have a look at some of the much-hyped projects.
The Local Government Engineering Department (LGED) has implemented development projects worth Tk2,557.82 crore in the last 14 years for the development of road communication.
The Zilla Parishad alone has implemented more than Tk21 crore worth of development projects. Of this, a modern district council building has been constructed for Tk17 crore.
The Public Works Division has constructed various facilities, including the National Heart Foundation, NSI office, Rajshahi Metropolitan Police’s new headquarters, model mosques, Chief Judicial Magistrate Court building, children’s hospital, fire stations and other government office buildings. It also expanded Rajshahi Medical College Hospital.
Also, many government facilities have been renovated. A number of academic buildings have also been constructed.
The Department of Health Engineering has implemented a project worth Tk86 crore. And the Barind Multipurpose Development Authority (BMDA) has brought about a radical change in the agriculture of the Varendra region by implementing projects worth more than Tk2,950 crore.
To prevent erosion by the Padma River, the Bangladesh Water Development Board in Rajshahi has implemented a project of Tk1,137 crore, and the Rajshahi Development Authority (RDA) has implemented a project of nearly Tk515 crore.
A project involving Tk100.5 crore for gas supply, while the Rajshahi-Chapainawabganj railway is being developed at a cost of Tk217.46 crore and a special industrial zone is being built at Tk172.7 crore.
Two flyovers have been constructed in Rajshahi, with two others being built at a cost of Tk169 crore. It will also be operational soon.
Smart Rajshahi
Rajshahi metropolis is now being considered a role model in development activities. In the past few years, Mayor AHM Khairuzzaman Liton has transformed the entire city into a smart one.
More than two lakh different species of permanent trees and 10 lakh beautifying hedges have been planted in different parts of the city.
By creating awareness among the public to keep the city clean and tidy, door-to-door waste collection, day and night sweeping of city streets, and night-time waste removal have made it possible to present a sparkling city to the city dwellers. Twelve modern secondary transfer stations (STS) and medical waste management plants have been constructed.
New doors for children’s entertainment have been opened through the construction of Sheikh Russell Shishu Park.
An initiative has been taken to establish an international seaport in Rajshahi. If the sea route from Dhulian and Maya in Murshidabad, Rajshahi to Pabna Ishwardi to Aricha, is opened, the economy of the region will be dynamic and business and trade will expand greatly and new employment opportunities will be created.
In Mujib Barsha, the country’s largest mural of Bangabandhu was completed in Rajshahi.
Hi-Tech Park
The hi-tech park has started making a significant contribution to the employment of the Rajshahi region. This region of youth has now become a region of potential with the youth. Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman Hi-Tech Park is living the dream of changing the youth of this region.
According to Hitech Park authorities, Hitech Park is playing a leading role in technology-based employment of thousands of educated and semi-educated youth. This ‘Hi-Tech Park’ is an effort to make Rajshahi work-friendly. The people of Rajshahi are benefiting from this. Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman Hi-Tech Park Rajshahi’s “Joy Silicon Tower” and “Sheikh Kamal Training and Incubation Centre” are working as models to transform a total of 23 IT institutions. The Rajshahi Hi-Tech Park project, which started with the goal of providing employment to about 14 thousand people, has already started showing signs of success. Thousands of youth have been directly employed.
According to related sources, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina promised to set up an IT village in Rajshahi following the request of AHM Khairuzzaman Liton.
Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Hi-Tech Park Rajshahi Project Focal Point Officer Md. Mahfuzul Kabir said that they are working to create new entrepreneurs in addition to encouraging IT entrepreneurs.
Novotheater
After Dhaka, the second-largest novotheater in the country has been constructed in Rajshahi. It has named been named “Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman Novotheatre”. The Public Works Department has already completed the entire work of this project under the initiative of the Ministry of Science and Technology. Now it is awaiting its inauguration.
It has been built on an area of 2.3 acres.
This novotheatre will have various facilities, including a planetarium with a modern digital projector system, scientific and digital exhibits, a five-D simulator theater, a telescope, and a computerized ticketing and decorating system. It will have a Planetarium, 9-D and 5-D halls, Mujib Corner, a scientific library, and Canteen facilities.
Incidentally, the construction work on the Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman Novotheater started in 2018 at a cost of Tk232 crore.
Electricity
High mast pole LED lamps have been installed at 19 important junctions in the city; decorative poles and attractive energy-efficient street lamps have been installed on 35 km of four-lane roads; and 22,780 pole lights have been installed across the city.
There were no electricity facilities in 15 chars (dried-up riverbeds). But in 2014, a solar power project was launched. Primarily, 600 families were facilitated. Currently, 2,200 families have been brought under the program. However, the project is not operating now.
Efforts are underway to bring the 15 chars under 100% electrification after power transmission lines were installed there at a cost of Tk5.61 crore in 2019.
Rajshahi Medical University
It is a much-awaited project for the people of the Rajshahi region.
Since being founded in 2016, the medical university has been operating its activities in a temporary office. The government has approved a project worth Tk1,867 crore to provide healthcare to nearly 20 million people on a larger scale.
The project, initiated by the Medical Education and Family Welfare Division, is expected to start next month and be completed by June 2026. Once fully implemented, the project will also have a positive impact on the lifestyle of the people in this region. New horizons will surface in the field of health research, benefiting the rest of the country too.
In 2017, administrative and academic activities of the medical university started temporarily at Rajshahi Medical College (RMC).
But now, five residential and 16 non-residential buildings will be constructed on 68 acres of land for the medical university, which will have a 1,200-bed capacity.
Stakeholders said the university will reduce the pressure on patients at the RMC while improving the quality of treatment.
The process for land acquisition for the project has already started.
As many as 780 graduate and postgraduate students will enroll in 68 departments under 10 faculties of the university, where a 5,000-strong workforce, including medics, will be recruited.
Rajshahi Wasa
The residents of Rajshahi city are yet to get a 100% supply of water despite the Rajshahi Water Supply and Sewerage Authority (Wasa) being founded over a decade ago.
The authorities hope that the problem will be solved by 2027 through a water treatment plant.
A mega project has been taken to ensure quality water and its proper supply within the city. Once implemented, the project will treat 200 million litres of surface water from the Padma River every day. The potable water will be piped to the city and also to nearby municipal areas.
The treatment plant will be installed in the Sarangpur area adjacent to the Padma River under Godagari upazila, around 26 kilometers off Rajshahi city, to clean and purify the river water.
A Chinese delegation linked to the project is already working on the spot. A whopping Tk4,062 crore will be spent on the project.
Source: Dhaka Tribune.