The four-member delegation, led by Chairman of American Transport System Corporation (ATSC) and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Norbert Von Boode, met Communications Minister Nazmul Huda and Dhaka City Mayor Sadeque Hossain Khoka in their offices.

During the meeting with the communications minister, the US delegation proposed to tie up the government with their project, but the minister turned down their proposal saying, "It's not our concern how you'll manage the money, but we can ensure other cooperation and encourage you to go for Build Operate and Transfer (BOT) system."

As the US delegation members said they have come here to see the investment climate and prefer investment in the transport sector of capital Dhaka, the communications minister advised them to invest in Chittagong, Bogra and Sylhet. "These cities also have huge economic potentials," he said.

He also asked the delegation to submit their proposal to the government so that it could assess the prospect and feasibility of this project.

Nazmul Huda informed the US team that the government is already implementing a World Bank-financed project, 'Dhaka Urban Transport Project (DUTP)', and the sky train project must not make any problem to the DUTP.

In reply, the ATSC chairman and CEO requested the communications minister to give them a copy of that project and assured that their project would not cause any problem to the DUTP.

The minister also advised ATSC to think about any other mode of transportation apart from the sky train.

When ATSC proposed for installing trams in Dhaka city, the communications minister said it could be installed on road islands, but BRTC Chairman Advocate Taimur Alam Khandoker sharply opposed it.

After the meeting, Huda told reporters that the US delegation is here on a fact-finding mission. "They have realised that there is a lot of commuters in this sprawling mega city, they are verifying all options sky train, tram etc," he said.

Norbert Von Boode said it is just the beginning of the project. "We are so far happy and if we see the project is profitable to us then we'll invest."

Earlier, the US delegation met Dhaka City Mayor Sadeque Hossain Khoka at his office.

After the meeting, Khoka said Dhaka is already an overcrowded city. "If we don't take any decision right now, the situation will get worse in the next 10 to 20 years," he said.

About ATSC's proposal, he said, "We have asked them to submit a complete proposal and the government will then take the final decision."

The delegation is scheduled to hold another meeting with Executive Chairman of the Board of Investment (BoI) Mahmudur Rahman today, a BoI official told the news agency.