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No hospital in CRB: Minister


Published : 04 Dec 2022 09:00 PM

Railway Minister Nurul Islam Sujan has announced that hospital will not be constructed in Chattogram Railway (CRB) area.

Railway Minister Nurul Islam Sujan said that Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has ordered not to build a hospital in the city's CRB.  There will not be a hospital, the hospital will be at another place on the railway.

The Minister of Railways made this announcement at a public meeting organized by Awami League of Chattogram City, North and South District on Sunday afternoon at the polo ground. He said, "From the people of Chattogram to the local public representatives, there was a demand that there should not be a hospital under PPP in CRB.  Respecting that demand, Hon'ble Prime Minister has instructed me not to do hospital construction work in CRB.  which will be done elsewhere in the railways.  On 18 March 2020, Bangladesh Railways entered into an agreement with United Enterprise and Company Limited to set up a 500-bed hospital and a 100-seat medical college under the PPP project at the traditional CRB known as the lungs of Chattogram  city.

The duration of implementation of this hospital and medical college project under Public Private Partnership (PPP) at CRB was 12 years.  A nursing institute of 50 seats was also proposed to be constructed under the project.  As per the proposal, it is estimated to cost around Tk 400 crore.  The agreement stipulated that the project would be owned by the railways after 50 years.

When the initiative was taken to transfer the land of the project area to the hospital construction company, protests and agitation started in July last year.  The movement has been going on for more than 15 months.  As a result, although the railway initially stuck to the decision, the government later withdrew from the project in the face of agitation.