Bogra Deprived of Development for 20 Years, State Minister Says as Big Allocations Are Outlined

State Minister for Local Government, Rural Development and Cooperatives Mir Shahe Alam has said the people of Bogra have been victims of development discrimination for 20 years. He said the current government is only seven months old and that development will take some time to become visible. He also outlined the government's large development plans centred on Bogra.

He made the remarks on Thursday at a discussion titled 'Bogra's development potential, problems and challenges' held at the Mom Inn Convention Centre in Bogra. Representatives of various sides concerned with the district's development attended the meeting.

The state minister said Bogra is a surplus district in agriculture, with a food surplus of about Tk 3,500 crore a year. Yet this promising district was kept deprived of its desired development for a long time. He said the government is working to turn Bogra into one of the country's important regions in industry, communications, education, health and urbanisation.

Outlining Bogra's development plans, Mir Shahe Alam said about Tk 1,000 crore is planned to be spent on building the Arafat Rahman Koko Para Sports Village. The work of constructing Bogra's multidimensional airport is at its final stage, he added.

Mentioning an expenditure of Tk 10,570 crore for the Bogra-Sirajganj railway project, he said that once implemented, the project will bring new momentum to the communications and economy of the northern region. This railway has long been a demand of the northern districts.

The state minister said Tk 1,994 crore has been allocated for infrastructure development of Bogra City Corporation. Plans have been taken to allocate Tk 3,500 crore for the development of the district's 13 upazilas and Tk 2,000 crore for the municipalities. The process of forming Bogra WASA and the Bogra Development Authority is at its final stage. Allocations have been made for building and developing dak bungalows in various upazilas, and work on the BSCIC industrial park will also begin soon.

On road communications, he said initiatives are being taken to upgrade various highways from four to six lanes, and Tk 70 crore has initially been allocated to ease traffic congestion and beautify the city. Plans have also been taken to prevent Jamuna erosion, build damp stations for water conservation and expand health services. There is a plan to build 151-bed hospitals in the district's 13 upazilas.

He also outlined plans for the education sector. Initiatives are being taken to turn Bogra University into a multidimensional centre of higher education and research. He also spoke of an initiative to build a four-lane road along the Karatoya River.

On national development allocations, Mir Shahe Alam said Prime Minister Tarique Rahman views the whole country equally. Tk 1,800 crore has been allocated for Rangpur City Corporation and Tk 1,700 crore for the development of Gopalganj district. He said development is not for any specific area; improving the living standards of people in every region of the country is the government's goal.

Highlighting the peaceful completion of Sharadiya Durga Puja as a positive achievement of the government, the state minister said an additional 1,200 puja mandaps were set up this time. He said Hindus are nobody's pocket voters and proved that in the last election by taking their political decisions independently. Ensuring the security and rights of all citizens regardless of religion and caste is the government's responsibility, he added.

Addressing BNP leaders and activists, the state minister said the Awami League deceived the people of the northern region in the name of development. He urged activists to highlight not only the repression of the last 17 years but the history of repression and deprivation of the last 20 years.

The chief speaker at the meeting, the Prime Minister's Additional Press Secretary Atiqur Rahman Rumon, said Bogra, the heart of the northern region, has long been deprived and that this deprivation must be ended through Bogra's development. Noting that the Prime Minister has a clear plan for Bogra's development, he called on everyone to work together to implement it. The meeting, chaired by Bangladesh Pratidin editor Loton Ekram, was also addressed by MPs Rezaul Karim Badsha and Abdul Muhit Talukdar and representatives of the district administration and various levels. Bogra residents will now watch how quickly these announced plans become visible on the ground.