Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Wednesday expressed her government’s vision of building a poverty-free, educated, developed, qualified and prosperous nation imbued with knowledge.
As part of her government’s aim, Sheikh Hasina, the elder daughter of the father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, asked the authorities concerned for quick measures to develop Dhaka Medical College Hospital (DMCH), Dhaka University Teacher-Student Centre (TSC) and Public Library with all the modern facilities.
Sheikh Hasina said that the Father of the Nation led the movement to liberate the country and the government wants to properly build the independent country.
"We will build a poverty-free, educated, developed, qualified and prosperous nation imbued with knowledge and fulfil the dreams of the Father of the Nation," Sheikh Hasina said.
“This is the high time to start the works on rebuilding the institutions equipped with all necessary modern facilities as most of the developing works are at a stand-still now due to coronavirus pandemic,” she said.
The Prime Minister attended a meeting organised to approve the design and plan of the 20-storey Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Academic and Administrative Building to be constructed at Bangladesh Public Administration Training Centre (BPATC) at Savar and the plan for constructing Mymensingh Divisional Headquarters. The Prime Minister joined the event through videoconferencing from Ganobhaban.
Sheikh Hasina said a plan for many academic institutions, including DMC has already been designed, but, the design of the TSC building has not yet been completed. “The construction works will be done by the government and we want to complete it at the quickest possible time,” she said.
She went on saying: “We want to build each of the institutions with having modern technology to facilitate the new generation.”
About the DMC and the adjoining hospital, the PM said that the government wants to reconstruct it as a modern medical college and hospital having facilities of rendering healthcare services to 5,000 patients as people come to the hospital from across the country to seek treatment.
“A plan to this end has already been prepared. Now, we’re taking measures to complete it at the quickest possible time,” she said.
The prime minister said the government has already instructed the authorities concerned to take speedy initiatives to protect the historic Amtala (adjacent to the DMCH) from where the Language Movement had started and the Father of the Nation held meeting there demanding declaring Bangla as the state language.
Regarding the TSC, Sheikh Hasina said that she has already directed the authorities concerned to prepare its design in a proper manner as she wanted to build it as a modern one.
“Dhaka University (DU) is our university and we want to build the TSC freshly in a modern way as it is a centre of teachers and students,” she continued.
The prime minister put emphasis on renovating the DU halls on an urgent basis, particularly the old ones, as those are in dilapidated conditions alongside redeveloping their ponds as those are in a very bad shape.
“Some old dormitories are now in so bad condition that accident could take place there any time,” she said.
In this regard, she mentioned, “The Father of the Nation was a student of the university and myself being a student of it, I have a (special) feeling about it. So, I want to build the university in an aesthetic manner.”
Sheikh Hasina said the work should be done quickly as everything (educational activities) has been stalled now due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
About the Public Library, the premier said that the government plans to facilitate it providing all necessary digital technologies with a modern auditorium and a cyber cafe.
“We want to build a modern Public Library having digital system and a user-friendly comfortable cybercafé. The existing one is so old and its auditorium is in very bad condition,” she added.
About the National Museum, Sheikh Hasina said her government wants to give an aesthetic look to the national museum preserving its pond in a proper manner and keeping its structure intact.
While witnessing the plan on using land for setting up the “Mymensingh Divisional Headquarters,” the prime minister instructed the authorities concerned to construct necessary infrastructures by formulating the DPP in future.
Officials familiar with the project on constructing “Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Academic and Administrative Bhaban” said the premier approved one of the three plans for the 20-storey building.
The building will be constructed under a Taka 500 crore project for enhancing the training capacity of the Bangladesh Public Administration Training Centre (BPATC), the apex training institute of the country.
“There will be six large rooms, four auditoriums, a group discussion room, offices for the rector and other administrative officials and a children’s corner in the building,” the officials said.
“As many as 2500 officials would be able to take training simultaneously under a single roof once the building is completed,” they added.
As part of the move, she said, initiative has been taken to rebuild the Central Shahid Minar, Dhaka Medical College and TSC Square with eye-catching and archeological structures demolishing their old structures.
In this regard, she vowed to undertake more such plans in the future considering the greater interests of people.
