Md Rakel Islam, Bogura 

State Minister for Local Government, Rural Development and Cooperatives Mir Shahe Alam has highlighted various infrastructure development plans including railways, airports, city corporations, sports villages, industrial parks,  to fill the development deficit of Bogura over the last 20 years.

These plans include the construction of the Bogura-Sirajganj railway at a cost of Tk 10,570 crore, a sports village worth about Tk 1,000 crore, and an allocation of Tk 1,994 crore for the development of the city corporation's infrastructure.

He outlined these plans as the chief guest at a seminar titled 'Development Prospects and Challenges of Bogura, the Heart of the Northern Region' organized by the Bangladesh Daily at the auditorium of the five-star Hotel Mom-Inn in Bogra on Thursday afternoon.

Mir Shahe Alam said, 'We don't want anything extra, we just want to fill the 20-year deficit in Bogura.'

Regarding the development of Bogura , the state minister said that responsible people who have the opportunity to talk to the government, including seven members of parliament from the district, are working on the development. Prime Minister Tarique Rahman believes in balanced development of all regions of the country. He does not want to see Gopalganj and Bogra separately. He also commented that no concession will be made in the development of Bogra.

Highlighting the development plan of the communication system, Mir Shahe Alam said that a project worth Tk 10,570 crore has been undertaken to construct the Bogra-Sirajganj railway. If the project is implemented, new momentum will come to the communication and economy of the northern region. Besides, the work of constructing the Bogra multi-purpose airport is in the final stage, he said.

To reduce traffic congestion and beautify the city, initiatives are being taken to build a four-lane road along the banks of the Karatoya River and upgrade the main roads from four to six lanes. The State Minister also said that Tk 70 crore has already been released for the initial work of urbanization and reducing traffic congestion.

There are plans to build the 'Arafat Rahman Coco Para Sports Village' in Bogra at a cost of about Tk 1,000 crore. Tk 1,994 crore has been allocated for the infrastructure development of the newly formed Bogra City Corporation.
Besides, a plan has been made to allocate Tk 3,500 crore for the sustainable development of the district's 13 upazilas and another Tk 2,000 crore for the infrastructure development of the municipalities. He said that the process of forming Bogra WASA and Bogra Development Authority (BDA) is also in the final stage.

Regarding industrialization and employment, the State Minister said that the work of BSCIC Industrial Park will start soon in Bogra. In addition, there is a possibility of building a new industrial city and setting up a factory to produce starch from potatoes. If these initiatives are implemented, a new market will be created for the potatoes produced by farmers and employment opportunities will increase.

He also highlighted plans to establish 151-bed modern hospitals in 13 upazilas of the district, develop upazila post offices and healthcare infrastructure, and develop Bogra University as a multi-purpose higher education and research center.

Highlighting the economic potential of Bogra, Mir Shahe Alam said that the district has a surplus in agriculture and food production. There is a food surplus of about Tk 3,500 crore annually. However, he alleged that Bogra has been deprived of the desired infrastructural development for the last 20 years.

Noting that the current government is only seven months old, the State Minister said that work is underway on a specific master plan to turn Bogra into a modern and prosperous region.

Giving examples of development allocations in different regions of the country, he said that Tk 1,800 crore has been allocated for Rangpur City Corporation and Tk 1,700 crore for Gopalganj. The main goal of the government is not development for any specific district, but to improve the quality of life of all the people of the country. He called on everyone to forget political differences and unite for the overall development of Bogra.

Expressing gratitude to the countrymen for the smooth completion of Durga Puja, the State Minister said that no untoward incident took place during this year's Durga Puja. The Prime Minister visited three regions outside Dhaka to visit Durga Puja, which is an important example. He commented that the people of the Hindu community voted with trust in the BNP in the last election. He also said that as a reflection of that trust, 1,200 puja mandap have been increased across the country. The administration has fulfilled its responsibility along with BNP leaders and activists for the security of the puja mandap.

In addition, Mir Shahe Alam called for the installation of solar panels on the roofs of homes and said that the government will purchase solar power generated by individuals by next February.

The keynote speaker at the event was Atiqur Rahman Rumon, Additional Press Secretary to the Prime Minister. The keynote address was presented by Professor Dr. Hosne Ara Begum, Founding Executive Director of TMSS. Bangladesh Pratidin Editor Lotan Ekram presided over the event.

Bogura-6 MP Rezaul Karim Badsha, Bogra-3 MP Abdul Muhith Talukder, Bogra City Corporation Administrator MR Islam Swadhin, BNP Chairperson's Advisor Advocate Mahbubur Rahman, PIB Director General Faruk Wasif, Bogra Deputy Commissioner Taufiqur Rahman, Police Superintendent Mirza Sayem Mahmud, Bangladesh Journalists Welfare Trust member and Bogra Press Club General Secretary Kalam Azad spoke at the meeting.

In addition, members of parliament, political leaders, administration officials, teachers, doctors, journalists, and business representatives participated in the meeting.