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Online Reporter/

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina said that the Awami League government is working for the welfare of the people. The people are with us. So no one can do anything by protesting. No one can stop the unstoppable progress of the country.

Awami League president said to the party leaders and workers, “You can trust that the people are with us. Because we are working for the welfare of the people. Therefore, as long as the people are with us, no one can do anything by agitation-struggle.

The Prime Minister said these things while addressing the chief guest at a gathering organized on the occasion of the inauguration of the construction work of MRT Line-1, the country’s first underground metro rail. Road Transport and Bridges Minister and Awami League General Secretary Obaidul Quader presided over the event.

He said, through the inauguration of the subway construction work, “another milestone has been established in the development progress of Bangladesh” and “Bangladesh’s new journey in subway has started”.

The Prime Minister said, we are taking Bangladesh forward, the country will go further. No one can stop this overwhelming progress of Bangladesh. This is the reality. For this, your cooperation is highly desirable.

He once again urged everyone to be economical in electricity, fuel and water use, otherwise there is danger.

Sheikh Hasina said Bangladesh is a role model of development in the world today. This has been possible because of the continuity of democracy since the formation of the government in 2009. It is because of this democracy that Bangladesh has started its journey on the highway of development. Got the status of developing country. Inshallah, by 2041, Bangladesh will be a developed and prosperous ‘Smart Bangladesh’.

In the morning, the Prime Minister unveiled the plaque for the construction of Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) Line-1 at Sector 4, Purbachal, Rupganj, Narayanganj district. Earlier on December 28, the first metro rail journey in the country began with the inauguration of the 11.73 km section of Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) Line-6 of the metro rail project from Diabari to Agargaon at Diabari in the capital.

According to project sources, the government will construct a 31.242 km long MRT line-1 with both underground and elevated facilities from the airport to Kamalapur and from Purbachal to Nabunbazar at an estimated cost of Tk 52,561 crore by 2026. A total of six metro rail routes will be inaugurated in the capital Dhaka by 2030 and DMTCL will implement these mega projects.

MRT Line-1 will have two parts. A 19.872 km segment from Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport to Kamalapur (airport route). It will be underground and will have 12 stations. The other part is about 11.37 km elevated line from Newbazar to Purbachal (Purbachal route). It will have seven stations. On the other hand, Newbazar and Nadda stations will be underground as part of the airport route.

The Government of Bangladesh and the development cooperation agency Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) will bear the cost of Tk 52 thousand 561.43 crore for the construction work of MRT Line-1. Out of this, JICA will give Tk 39 thousand 450.32 crore as Project Assistance (PA) and Bangladesh Government will give Tk 13 thousand 111 crore 11 lakh.

Minister of Textiles and Jute Golam Dastgir Gazi Birpratik, Ambassador of Japan to Bangladesh Iwama Kiminori and Chief Representative of ZAICA in Bangladesh Ichiguchi Tomohide spoke on the occasion. Road Transport and Highways Department Secretary ABM Amin Ullah Noori delivered the welcome speech and Dhaka Mass Transit Company Limited (DMTCL) Managing Director MAN Siddique introduced the project.

A video on MRT Line-1 and a ‘theme song’ created by A2i on the project were presented at the event.

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina said, “We are getting votes by winning the hearts of the people.”

He said, ‘They are voting for us because we have been working for the people and benefiting them for so many years. We are getting people’s trust. We are getting votes by winning people’s hearts through our work.

The Prime Minister said, I announced to build the Padma Bridge with my own funds. We were able to do that. There were many conspiracies about the Padma Bridge. We were accused of corruption. We are here to serve the people, servants of the people. We have come to make people’s destiny, not to play with their destiny. We have come to give to the people, so there is no question of corruption here.

He said, there has been a radical change in Bangladesh in the last 14 years. The country is moving forward at a fast pace. Our election promise was to launch metro rail to decongest Dhaka. We did that. Awami League keeps its promise. We kept it.

The Prime Minister said, “No services will have to be shifted during the construction of MRT Line-1.” The construction of this subway will continue keeping everything normal.

He said, another milestone has been achieved in the development of Bangladesh. Earlier I have given Metrorail as a gift. It will pass. Now the subway will pass under the ground. This kind of arrangement is the first in Bangladesh.

Stating that there will be no problem in the movement of the people during the construction of the subway, the Prime Minister said that tunnels will be made under the ground with noiseless boring machines. Work will be done 10 meters below the surface. So it cannot be understood from above that work is going on underground. He also mentioned that the project will be environmentally friendly by using modern technology and care will be taken to ensure that the public does not have any feeling during the construction work.

Stating that there will be a total of six metrorails in the capital, the Prime Minister said that various plans have been taken for these lines. Along with that the feasibility study has also started. There are three metro rail lines planned in Narayanganj city.

Referring to Narayanganj as an important district, Sheikh Hasina said, a lot of work is going on here. 46 small and big development projects including three fast tracks are being implemented. A special economic zone will be made in Narayanganj’s Araihajar, in which Japan is investing. Through this many people will get employment here.

He said that the new city Purbachal is being built in Rupganj of Narayanganj and said, Purbachal will be a smart city. Along with that, we want to develop Narayanganj city as a smart city.

The prime minister mentioned that whenever Awami League comes to government, the people of the country improve. He said, Awami League has developed a communication network across the country. It has built 100 bridges and 100 roads and highways in the same day across the country, which it seems no one has ever done. But it has become possible because of the Awami League government.

The Prime Minister reiterated his appeal to the people of the country to increase the overall production by bringing every inch of land under cultivation and sought everyone’s cooperation.

At the beginning of the speech, Prime Minister Holly Artisan specifically remembered the seven Japanese consultants involved in the Metrorail project who were killed in the terrorist attack. In their memory, a joint initiative of the Bangladesh and Japanese governments has set up a memorial at the Metrorail Exhibition and Information Center in Uttara Diabari, which will later be shifted to the MRT Line-1 and MRT Line-5: Northern Route Interline Junction Station, he said.

The Prime Minister thanked former Japanese Prime Minister late Shinzo Abe and the current Prime Minister of the country for continuing their cooperation with Bangladesh despite the incident.