Planning Minister MA Mannan on Sunday hinted that the government is considering building a tunnel beneath the Jamuna River in Kurigram, reports BSS.
“We are thinking of building a tunnel up north of the Jamuna River in Kurigram district,” he said. The Planning Minister was addressing a programme titled ‘Bangladesh Institute of Development Studies (BIDS) Critical Conversations. Bangladesh Journey: Moving Beyond LDC’ held at a city hotel.
Country’s renowned economist and BIDS Board member Dr. Wahiddudin Mahmud spoke on the occasion as guest of honour while General Economics Division (GED) member of the Planning Commission and BIDS Board member Dr Shamsul Alam spoke as special guest chaired by Director General of BIDS Dr. KAS Murshid.
Speaking on the occasion as the chief guest, the Planning Minister said the government is building a tunnel beneath the River Karnaphuli. Mentioning that building more bridges on rivers across the country may affect the environment, he said if tunnels are built under rivers which are much safer, better, useful, these will be long lasting.
Commenting on the socio-economic conditions of the country, Mannan said no farmer and worker in the country remains unemployed adding, “Everybody has work and they are the producers as they have wealth. We are very much happy in this regard.” Mentioning that there are some weaknesses in the financial sector especially in the banking sector, the Planning Minister said the high-ups of the government are continuing with some reform initiatives to address the difficulties. Mannan also suggested that the BIDS should come with more research works on inequality, fiscal governance, macro stability and female migration.
