Gazipur-Narayanganj elevated expressway on the cards: PM

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina yesterday said her government has a plan to construct an elevated expressway from Gazipur to Narayanganj to facilitate the communications system.
Apart from this, railroads, ring roads and waterways would be developed outside Dhaka, she said.
The PM said this when a delegation of Foreign Investors Chamber of Commerce and Industry (FICCI) led by its President Waliur Rahman Bhuiyan called on her at her office in the capital.
During the meeting, Hasina mentioned the traffic congestion in the capital and said the head offices of different organisations need to be shifted outside Dhaka to ease the traffic jam.
In this connection, she said her government has a plan to construct overpasses at six rail-crossing points in the city.
The PM referred policies and development agendas of her government and said it (government) would make all of its policies public for ensuring transparency and accountability in implementation of those projects.
"We took the initiatives as we believe in transparency and accountability in implementing government programmes," she said.
PM's Press Secretary Abul Kalam Azad briefed the newsmen after the meeting.
The premier said her government has been entrusted with huge responsibilities as it was formed with a huge mandate of people in the widely acclaimed December 29 parliamentary elections.
Keeping this in mind, the government has undertaken expanded programmes for bringing welfare to the people and brightening the image of the country in the international arena, she said.
Hasina said the previous Awami League government had taken a number of programmes to increase foreign investment in the country, but the BNP-Jamaat alliance government suspended those programmes after coming to power in 2001.
The PM said her previous government had taken various measures for strengthening the private sector for achieving overall development of Bangladesh.
In this context, she said that she had also brought amendments to her party constitution to this end.
Referring to various problems that her present government is facing in implementing various development programmes, Hasina said her government has inherited these problems from the past BNP-Jamaat alliance government.
About construction of multi-storied buildings, she called upon the developers to construct such buildings keeping provisions of various utility services, including car parking.
Referring to the increased electricity demand, she said her government has a plan to set up an independent power plant to meet the demand.
About foreign investment, she called upon the FICCI to invest more in Bangladesh saying the low cost production base and attractive incentives offered by the government make Bangladesh an ideal destination for foreign investment.
In reply, the delegation requested the government to declare weekend holiday on Saturday and Sunday instead of the present Friday-Saturday closure for making Bangladesh's trade and business with international markets faster and easier.
During the meeting, they lauded the PM's able leadership in different international forums and her firm and bold speech in parliament regarding exploration of gas.
They also requested the government to increase utility services and other facilities for the foreign investors along with ensuring uninterrupted supply of electricity and smooth transportation of goods.
PM's Principal Secretary MA Karim, Press Secretary Abul Kalam Azad were present.