Govt working on integrated multimodal transport plan: adviser
The government is moving away from scattered projects and instead will go for an integrated multimodal transport plan, said Muhammad Fouzul Kabir Khan, adviser to the road transport and bridges and railways ministries.
"By mapping existing roads, railways, waterways and air routes alongside data on goods and passenger movement, we can detect infrastructure gaps, prioritise investments, and determine the most cost- and time-efficient transport modes," he said.
For all latest news, follow The Daily Star's Google News channel. The adviser made the comments at a virtual event on the "State of Investment Climate – Bangladesh" today, organised by the Bangladesh Investment Development Authority (Bida).
The adviser said the first draft of the plan will be ready by next month, and it will be shared with the business community after consultations between September and October.
The move came over a decade after the government formulated the National Integrated Multimodal Transport Policy in 2013 for developing an integrated transport network involving road, rail and waterways.
However, the policy remained largely ignored and the modal share became more uneven, with roadways' share rising to over 80 percent.
Ashik Chowdhury, executive chairman of the Bangladesh Investment Development Authority (Bida) and the Bangladesh Economic Zones Authority (Beza), said they have recently set up the country's first-ever investor relationship management team at Bida — the first of its kind in any government agency.
The idea is to create a single point of contact for investors, borrowing best practices from banks and guiding them through government processes, he said.
This, he noted, should deliver service benefits while also fostering learning between government and the private sector.
When officials return to the private sector, they will take with them valuable experience, networks and energy, Chowdhury said.
"I hope future governments use this as a blueprint for structuring investment facilitation," he added.
Together with the home ministry, Bida is working to remove unpredictability and security clearance delays for foreign professionals, he said.
The reform will go live in September, with a digitised system to make it sustainable, he said.
"We are creating a single body inside government to act as one entity instead of multiple agencies working against each other. Global consultants are supporting us to ensure the integration becomes permanent," he said.
From the fourth quarter, Bida will offer incentives to any Bangladeshi — resident or non-resident — who helps bring foreign investment into the country, he said.
Their priorities for the rest of the year are to complete 32 reform initiatives and convert high-priority investment leads generated from recent visits, he added.
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