Business Desk :
Commerce Minister Tofail Ahmed said, today we are an LDC, but in 2021 Bangladesh will be a middle income country. He was speaking as the chief guest at the inaugural session of the two-day Project Launch Workshop for Municipal Governance and Services Project (MGSP) of Local Government Engineering Department (LGED) on Sunday at LGED Headquarters.
MGSP, funded by World Bank, is a 6-year project that includes 26 cities including four city corporations and 22 pourashavas. The major components of physical works under the project include development of 600 km urban roads, construction of 570 meters of bridges/culverts, improvement of 410 km drainage and construction of 12 bus terminals, 4 truck terminals, 4 boat landing jetties, 26 kitchen markets, 26 wholesale markets, 36 public toilets, 8 community centres and 6 parks.
Chaired by Md Wahidur Rahman, Chief Engineer, LGED the inaugural session of the workshop was also attended by Monzur Hossain, Senior Secretary, Local Government Division and Christine E. Kimes, Acting Country Director, World Bank as special guests. Shenhua Wang, Sr Urban Specialist of World Bank and Task Team Leader, MGSP and Shaikh Muzakka Zaher, Project Director, MGSP were also present on the occasion among others.
The minister said, MGSP is a very important project to develop our City Corporations and pourashavas further. He added further, Bangladesh has been moving forward economically and socially faster than other developing countries in South Asia. Quoting Nobel Laureate Professor Amartya Sen the Minister said, in social spectrum and in empowerment of women in Bangladesh is better than India.
In his address as special guest Monzur Hossain, Senior Secretary, Local Government Division said, Bangladesh stands today on the threshold of rapid urbanization. But we have challenges.
