Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Saturday asked the Institution of Engineers, Bangladesh (IEB) to form a team with local engineers and expert professionals for designing and constructing the country’s big structures like bridges and tunnels.
She also stressed the importance of utilising the expertise of Bangladesh professionals instead of depending on foreign engineers and experts as the local experts understand better the country, its people and its weather pattern.
“We need to change the mindset of depending on foreigners and foreign aids as the country’s dignity must be upheld by standing on our own feet,” the Prime Minister said while formally inaugurating the 55th Convention of the Institution of Engineers, Bangladesh (IEB) at the IEB Bhaban premises.
The theme of this year’s convention of the most prestigious and oldest organization of professionals in Bangladesh is: ‘Engineers for Development: Towards a Safer Environment’.
Nearly 5,000 engineers from home and abroad are participating in the five-day long convention that began on Thursday.
Referring to the Padma Bridge construction, the Prime Minister mentioned that there was a political game over it and her government has completed all works to begin the construction of its main part with the country’s own resources overcoming all the obstacles.
Underscoring the need for making the country’s engineering education a world-class one to keep pace with the present globalisation, Hasina assured of providing all sorts of cooperation and support from her government to make engineering profession and education a time-befitting one and take it forward.
The Prime Minister mentioned that the engineers have a very important role in development and production activities as they are involved in constructing roads, bridges, culverts, educational institutions, houses, mills and factories as well as other establishments of the country.
Besides, he said, they are also contributing towards the country through their service-oriented works like generation and distribution of power and energy and water supply.
In this regard, Hasina voiced her firm optimism that the country would move towards progress and prosperity in a faster way with the sincerity and effective application of engineers’ expertise.
Elaborating various steps of her government taken for the welfare of the engineers, Sheikh Hasina said about 10-bigha land and Tk five crore had been given for their institution during 1996-2001 while Tk 23 crore more was provided during at the fag end of her last government.
Mentioning her government’s initiatives undertaken to establish Bangladesh as a digital one by the year 2021, Sheikh Hasina said the National ICT Policy 2009 was enacted while 4551 union information and services centers were set up in the country during 2009-2013 period.
The Prime Minister said her government has formulated a time-befitting and modern National Education Policy giving due importance to science, technology and ICT to build a science and technology-based society.
Hasina highlighted her government’s tremendous success of constructing a number of flyovers and overpasses in Dhaka and Chittagong, and said engineers have a very pivotal role in constructing these structures.
The Prime Minister urged all to work together for building a poverty- and hunger-free prosperous ‘Sonar Bangla’ by the year 2021 as dreamt by Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman.
IEB President Engineer Prof Dr Shamimuzzaman, General Secretary Engineer Mia Mohammad Qayum and Chairman of the institution’s Dhaka Chapter Engineer Mohsin Ali, among others, soke on the occasion.
At the function, former Vice Chancellor of BUET and Professor Emeritus of the University of Asia-Pacific Engineer Dr Abdul Matin Patuary were given the Gold Medal of the IEB 2013.
Besides, the Prime Minister also conferred the degree of AMIEB upon 50 diploma engineers and distributed ’Professional Engineer’ certificates among 42 engineers.
Source: UNBConnect