Sylhet residents want bigger city
Locals at a meeting with officials yesterday demanded that Sylhet city be expanded and a development authority be formed immediately.
The meeting was organised by Sylhet District Administration at its seminar hall where Foreign Minister Dr AK Abdul Momen was present.
Over a century-old Sylhet municipality was upgraded to a city corporation in 2002, consisting 26.50 sq km area.
According to Sylhet City Corporation, they submitted a plan to expand the city to the local government ministry in 2014, with a proposal to include another 160.62 sq km area.
In 2015, the ministry ordered the district administration to evaluate it, but a report is yet to be finalised in this regard.
At yesterday’s meeting, Dr Momen, the lawmaker from Sylhet-1 constituency, said, “If the SCC area is expanded, we will be able to provide services to more people that will eventually increase revenue.”
He also said, “When the area is expanded, we can also demand formation of a city development authority like other large cities like Chattogram, Rajshahi and Khulna.”
Momen told the district administration and SCC to prepare two separate proposals to finalise the expansion process. “Considering both proposals, we will take a decision,” he said.
Sylhet Deputy Commissioner M Kazi Emdadul Islam presided over the meeting, where parliamentarian (Sylhet-3) Mahmudus Samad Chowdhury and SCC Mayor Ariful Haque Chowdhury were present, among others.
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