UNB, Patuakhali :
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Thursday directed the members of the Bangladesh Coast Guard to be more active in protecting the country’s maritime areas as the government has planned to extract marine resources.
She also asked them to put in their best efforts to contain piracy in the Sundarbans and protect Jhatka and the mother fish hilsa alongside ensuring the security of people living in the country’s coastal belt.
The Prime Minister came up with the directive while commissioning the newly-constructed training base ‘CG Base Agrajatra’ for the Bangladesh Coast Guard here.
State Minister for Home Affairs Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal and Coast Guard Director General Rear Admiral M Makbul Hossain received the Prime Minister on her arrival at the Quarter Deck of the Training Base. A smartly turned out contingent of Coast Guard gave her salute.
Hasina later handed over the Commissioning Certificate to ‘CG Base Agrajatra’ commandant Captain Kawsarul Alam, unveiled the nameplate
of the base as well as raised its flag. She also planted a sapling there.
Revealing the motto of the Coast Guard as the ‘Guardian at Sea’, Sheikh Hasina said her government has been implementing various programmes for modernising and expanding the force.
Mentioning that her government has given priority to extracting marine resources like other countries of the world due to the scarcity of land resources, she said it is also economically profitable to conduct international commerce through sea routes alongside extracting huge sea resources where the Bay of Bengal bears immense significance.
“We’ll do everything possible in protecting and proper management of this highly potential sector,” she told the Coast Guard members.
Hasina said, the role of Coast Guard is immense as a strong security system is needed for protecting national interest, safeguarding the country’s domestic water resources as well as waterways.
Noting the growing role of the Coast Guard in checking smuggling and human trafficking, Hasina said her government has taken steps to turn this force into a time-suiting one capable of accomplishing newer tasks.
“Coast Guard has been transformed into a symbol of trust and security in the coastal belt through their dutifulness and working efficiency,” the PM noted.
Hasina hoped that the force would be able to play a unique role in ensuring security at Mongla Port and newly constructed Paira Seaport in Patuakhali.
Praising the Bangladesh Coast Guard’s role in ensuring the security of commercial ships at the Chittagong Port and outer anchorage over the years, she said their performances over the past years have been acclaimed globally.
Hasina expressed her firm belief that the newly inaugurated ‘CG Base Agrajatra’ would play a special role in improving the standard of Bangladesh Coast Guard as well as play a positive role in ensuring socioeconomic development of this region.
She also called upon every individual and organisation of the country, including the Coast Guard, to be self-devoted in building a happy, prosperous mid-income country by 2021 and a developed nation by 2041, and thus build ‘Sonar Bangla’ as dreamt by the Father of the Nation.
Following the maritime boundary verdict over Myanmar and India, Hasina said the country established its rights over a vast marine area and over its resource which is almost equal to the country’s land area.
“We’ve undertaken various plans to ensure the maximum utilisation of this marine area, including the extraction of marine resources. We’re pledge-bound to materialise the idea of ‘Blue Economy’ dreamt by Father of the Nation,” said the Prime Minister.
Hasina said the overall security in the sea areas is needed to properly utilise the huge marine resources. “For this, there is a need for a strong marine law-enforcing force.”
She said, the International Maritime Bureau declared Chittagong Commercial Port in 2012 as a safe one following the steps of her government undertaken in 2009 to ensure the security of commercial ships in Chittagong Port and Outer Anchorage following the pioneering role of Bangladesh Coast Guard.
The Prime Minister said Bangladesh Coast Guard is being built to render more services to the people of coastal areas. In this connection, she described various steps undertaken for the development and welfare of the Coast Guard saying one zone, three bases, 18 stations, 10 out-posts, 57 water vessels and 8 pontoons as well as new manpower of 1,282 have been added to strengthen the capability of the force.
Besides, 18 more various vessels and eight pontoons are under construction and will soon be added to the Coast Guard fleet while eight large size Off-Shore Petrol Vessels have been given approval in principle recently to further strengthen capacity of the force, she added.
Ministers, ambassadors of different countries, members of parliament and high civil and military officials were present on the occasion.
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Thursday directed the members of the Bangladesh Coast Guard to be more active in protecting the country’s maritime areas as the government has planned to extract marine resources.
She also asked them to put in their best efforts to contain piracy in the Sundarbans and protect Jhatka and the mother fish hilsa alongside ensuring the security of people living in the country’s coastal belt.
The Prime Minister came up with the directive while commissioning the newly-constructed training base ‘CG Base Agrajatra’ for the Bangladesh Coast Guard here.
State Minister for Home Affairs Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal and Coast Guard Director General Rear Admiral M Makbul Hossain received the Prime Minister on her arrival at the Quarter Deck of the Training Base. A smartly turned out contingent of Coast Guard gave her salute.
Hasina later handed over the Commissioning Certificate to ‘CG Base Agrajatra’ commandant Captain Kawsarul Alam, unveiled the nameplate
of the base as well as raised its flag. She also planted a sapling there.
Revealing the motto of the Coast Guard as the ‘Guardian at Sea’, Sheikh Hasina said her government has been implementing various programmes for modernising and expanding the force.
Mentioning that her government has given priority to extracting marine resources like other countries of the world due to the scarcity of land resources, she said it is also economically profitable to conduct international commerce through sea routes alongside extracting huge sea resources where the Bay of Bengal bears immense significance.
“We’ll do everything possible in protecting and proper management of this highly potential sector,” she told the Coast Guard members.
Hasina said, the role of Coast Guard is immense as a strong security system is needed for protecting national interest, safeguarding the country’s domestic water resources as well as waterways.
Noting the growing role of the Coast Guard in checking smuggling and human trafficking, Hasina said her government has taken steps to turn this force into a time-suiting one capable of accomplishing newer tasks.
“Coast Guard has been transformed into a symbol of trust and security in the coastal belt through their dutifulness and working efficiency,” the PM noted.
Hasina hoped that the force would be able to play a unique role in ensuring security at Mongla Port and newly constructed Paira Seaport in Patuakhali.
Praising the Bangladesh Coast Guard’s role in ensuring the security of commercial ships at the Chittagong Port and outer anchorage over the years, she said their performances over the past years have been acclaimed globally.
Hasina expressed her firm belief that the newly inaugurated ‘CG Base Agrajatra’ would play a special role in improving the standard of Bangladesh Coast Guard as well as play a positive role in ensuring socioeconomic development of this region.
She also called upon every individual and organisation of the country, including the Coast Guard, to be self-devoted in building a happy, prosperous mid-income country by 2021 and a developed nation by 2041, and thus build ‘Sonar Bangla’ as dreamt by the Father of the Nation.
Following the maritime boundary verdict over Myanmar and India, Hasina said the country established its rights over a vast marine area and over its resource which is almost equal to the country’s land area.
“We’ve undertaken various plans to ensure the maximum utilisation of this marine area, including the extraction of marine resources. We’re pledge-bound to materialise the idea of ‘Blue Economy’ dreamt by Father of the Nation,” said the Prime Minister.
Hasina said the overall security in the sea areas is needed to properly utilise the huge marine resources. “For this, there is a need for a strong marine law-enforcing force.”
She said, the International Maritime Bureau declared Chittagong Commercial Port in 2012 as a safe one following the steps of her government undertaken in 2009 to ensure the security of commercial ships in Chittagong Port and Outer Anchorage following the pioneering role of Bangladesh Coast Guard.
The Prime Minister said Bangladesh Coast Guard is being built to render more services to the people of coastal areas. In this connection, she described various steps undertaken for the development and welfare of the Coast Guard saying one zone, three bases, 18 stations, 10 out-posts, 57 water vessels and 8 pontoons as well as new manpower of 1,282 have been added to strengthen the capability of the force.
Besides, 18 more various vessels and eight pontoons are under construction and will soon be added to the Coast Guard fleet while eight large size Off-Shore Petrol Vessels have been given approval in principle recently to further strengthen capacity of the force, she added.
Ministers, ambassadors of different countries, members of parliament and high civil and military officials were present on the occasion.
