PM: Dhaka to have underground trains, elevated ring roads, circular waterways

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has said initiatives have already been taken to construct underground rail lines, elevated ring roads and waterways around the capital, to ensure better transport services.

The Prime minister was speaking at a program on Saturday after inaugurating the Badda U-loop (North U-loop) under Hatirjheel Integrated Development Project, reports UNB.

She said: “We’ve already started a feasibility study to construct the rail lines and there is a plan to construct elevated ring roads around the capital city to ease communication.”

Sheikh Hasina said the government will go for dredging the four rivers, surrounding the capital so that city dwellers could get a better commuting service through waterways. “We’ll dredge the rivers to restore their navigability,” she added.

She further said; “Small bridges over these rivers that are hindering the plying of water vessels will be removed through constructing new bridges which will not create obstacles. We’re taking plans for that too.”

While speaking about the Hatirjheel project, the prime minister said the government will create a link canal with the project for linking it with rivers.

“If we excavate the canal, the water of the Hatijheel project will remain better. Another plan to that end is also underway,” she said.

The Badda U-loop Focus Bangla

The prime minister also mentioned the previous government’s constructed box culverts over the canal and that the decision was just a blunder. She said: “As a result, the water logging in Dhaka is increasing day by day… constructing box culverts is not a solution.”

She said if the Awami League is elected in next election, it will demolish the box culverts to open the canals, not in only in Dhaka city, but also across the country.

“We’ll construct elevated roads over the canals, if needed. The canals will remain open…it’ll be helpful to remove the rainwater quickly,” she said.

The Prime Minister said: “The government will renovate all the canals, swamps, rivers, drains and ponds across the country. We’ve already taken projects in hand for these.”

She also said: “The aim of these projects is to make the country more environment-friendly, so the people of the country could get an atmosphere to live healthier lives.

The prime minister mentioned that traffic jam is not a unique matter in big cities, and the government has taken numerous steps to reduce traffic congestions in capital Dhaka.

She reiterated that the government will introduce high speed bullet trains from Dhaka to Chittagong, Sylhet, Rajshahi, Dinajpur, Barisal-Paira and Kolkata.

The Prime Minister said: The government has been able to carry out marked development across the country, as people have voted in favour of Awami League for two consecutive times.

“As we have been in power for two consecutive terms, we’ve been able to complete our development projects,” she said.

Housing and Public Works Minister Engineer Mosharraf Hossain, Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan, Local MP AKM Rahmat Ullah, Army Chief General Aziz Ahmed and Hatirjheel Integrated Development Project Director Maj Gen Abu Sayeed Mohammad Masud also spoke at the program.

Source: Dhaka Tribune.