By Sumi Khan
Dhaka, Feb 19 (IANS) Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Sunday said that her government will make Dhaka a smart city.
“We will build Dhaka as a Smart City,” she said while addressing a public rally at Kalshi Balur Math here after opening the flyover and the road unveiling a plaque.
After the rally, she took the Kalshi flyover to reach her official Ganabhaban residence in the Capital.
Addressing the rally, the prime minister said that 2.34 km Kalshi flyover and 3.70 km widened and developed six-lane road from the ECB square would ease the commutation in Mirpur, DOHS, Pallabi, Kalshi, Mahakhali, Manikdi, Matikata, Bhashantek, Banani, Uttara and the Airport.
She said 16 projects worth over Tk 3000 crore have also been implemented in Dhaka South City Corporation over the years.
With the opening of the Kalshi Flyover and the six-lane road following the metro rail, traffic jam in Dhaka will reduce, she hoped.
For the development of Dhaka North City, as many as 23 projects involving TK 3,500 crore have been implemented in the last 12 years since Dhaka city was divided into two parts in 2011, Hasina said.
At the rally, she also announced to rename the Kalshi flyover after Harun Mollah due to his glorious contribution to the Liberation War and all the democratic and progressive movements of the country.
At the function, the prime minister announced to build Kalshi Balur Math as an amusement park with a playground for the children and youths and walkways for the movement of the aged persons.
The main problem of Dhaka city is not to have better connectivity between its East and West, the premier said, adding her government has attached priority to the development of communication systems in this part of the capital.
She mentioned that under the projects, development of communication and infrastructures in the capital including its beautification, improvement of water supply management, construction and development of footpath and waste management alongside roads, bridges and flyovers were made.
Hasina, also President of the ruling party Awami League, said her government would strengthen democracy.
Referring to vote rigging by the BNP-Jamaat alliance in February 15, 1996 election, she said the people of the country dislodged them from the power within one-and-a-half month.
“The people of the country never accepted those who came to power through vote rigging,” she said.
The Executive Committee of National Economic Council had on January 9, 2018 approved the project, under which, a 3.70 km stretch of road from the ECB square to Kalshi was widened, while the 2.34 km long Kalshi flyover was constructed at the Kalshi intersection under the Local Government Division of the Ministry of LGRD and Cooperatives.
The Dhaka North City Corporation (DNCC) and Bangladesh Army (24 Engineer Construction Brigade) implemented the project at a cost of around Taka 1,012 crore. The construction work of the project started in January in 2018 and it was completed four months prior to the stipulated time in June, 2023.
According to the project details, the flyover looks like an English alphabet ‘Y’. The previously four lane roads have been widened to six lanes to ease commutation.
The main four-lane flyover runs from ECB square towards Kalshi and Mirpur DOHS, while a two-lane ramp descends from Kalshi intersection to Kalshi Road.
The project also includes extension of a PC girder bridge, construction of two foot over-bridges, a public toilet, two police boxes, a 7.40 kilometer RCC drain and saucer drain, a 1755 meter RCC pipe drain, retaining wall, 3383 meter communication duct, 800000 linear meter sand compaction pile, separate bicycle lanes, and six bus bays. At least two overhead footbridges with escalators have been constructed next to the flyover.
LGRD and Cooperatives Minister Md Tazul Islam, DNCC Mayor Md Atiqul Islam, Chief of Army Staff General SM Shafiuddin Ahmed and Dhaka-16 lawmaker Md Elias Uddin Mollah also spoke at the rally.
–IANS
sumi khan/svn/
