Bogura development projects advance alongside nationwide government initiatives.
State Minister for Local Government, Rural Development (LGRD) and Cooperatives Mir Shahe Alam today said Bogura's development programmes will be implemented in line with the development activities of the entire country under the directives of Prime Minister Tarique Rahman.
"The development programmes of Bogura district was halted for a long time due to political vendetta," he told the 'BSRF Dialogue' organised by the Bangladesh Secretariat Reporters Forum (BSRF) at the Secretariat's media centre.
Alam said Bogura Airport is being upgraded into an international standard airport and the first air base of Bangladesh Air Force for the northern region has been approved.
The new fighter jets that will be inducted into the fleet of the Bangladesh Air Force will be attached to the air base fleet at the Bogura airport, he added.
The State Minister said the Prime Minister told in parliament that a drone manufacturing factory will be built in Bogura in a joint venture with Turkey.
Citing the example of depriving Bogura, he said there was an international standard stadium there, but not a single international standard game was held even after 2006.
In response to criticism about the naming of Union Parishads in Bogura, Shahe Alam said there were some unions in a upazila that were very big and, therefore, those needed to be divided.
"We divided those unions. We have created four new unions. There may have been many questions about the naming of the unions; there was a lot of talks and criticisms. Later, according to the Prime Minister's instructions, arrangements were made to change the names of the three unions and rename those again as per the desire of the people of the area.
"There are various kinds of talks about development in the area. Bogura district was deprived of development for long. Do you know why?" he questioned.
The state minister said Bogura has not had any development for a long time, and that is why the condition of roads, bridges, culverts is very bad.
"The people of Bogura have not had any jobs, and those who used to have jobs have not been given good positions. As a minister, I have tried to bridge all the development gaps in Bogura," he said.
"Normally, if I say something somewhere, we will do our job. For example, Bogura University remained in an abandoned state. We have talked about making a new law to transform that university into a multi-dimensional university, which has been presented in parliament. Instead of Bogura University, it will be called Bogura Science and Technology University," he said.
He said there has been a long-standing demand from the people of the northern region that there should be a railway connection from Sirajganj to Bogura.
For this rail link, the state minister said, the people of the northern region including Bogura have to suffer, the state minister said.
He said the work of connecting the 72-kilometer railway from Sirajganj to Bogura has started.
In the meantime, Shahe Alam said, the DPP has been passed and land acquisition has been completed.
"Due to this, we will save Taka 122 crore. There will be no need for a separate road. People from 11 districts move through an important district like Bogura, and trucks carrying goods and passenger cars from 11 districts ply," he said.
"I had no career in national politics; I came from the grassroots but we have started working. You will have to see for a few days whether we have the ability to do the work. If I am pushed in the beginning, if I am targeted in the beginning, then I will not be able to show the talent that Almighty Allah has given me."
He further said, "I feel very comfortable working in my ministry because I am fortunate that the minister of my ministry is the secretary general of the party. He is the second highest person in the party, my most respected Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir. I am much younger than him. But he does not take any decision without me. He calls me or informs me about any matter," Shahe Alam said.
Explaining his relations with the prime minister, Alam said, "There is no reason to present me as Prime Minister Tarique Rahman's friend. I am carrying out my political responsibilities as an ordinary worker of the BNP. The Prime Minister knows me and knows me personally—that is the extent of our relationship".
Alam said throughout his long political career, both he and his family had been subjected to persecution. Even after coming to power, his family continues to face various criticisms, he said.
However, he urged people not to create unnecessary controversy if members of his family are entrusted with responsibilities based on merit.
He said local government elections will be held this year and budget allocation has also been kept for conducting elections at five levels of local government.
The Election Commission has also started initial preparations for the local government elections, he added.
