PM's southern tour sparks hopes among businesses, industrialists

Prime Minister Tarique Rahman is scheduled to visit Mongla Port, Dacope upazila and the Sundarbans on 22 October, raising fresh hopes among the local businessmen and industrial entrepreneurs for resolving longstanding problems and accelerating industrial development in the southwestern region.

During the visit, the Premier is expected to inspect the port jetty operations and the economic zone adjacent to the port.

He is also scheduled to visit various spots in the Sundarbans and areas along the port channel by helicopter.

This will be his first visit to Mongla Port, Dacope and the Sundarbans since the BNP formed the government under his leadership after 17 years, prompting local entrepreneurs and traders to look forward to renewed government attention to the port and its surrounding industrial areas.

State Minister for the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change and lawmaker from Bagerhat-3 (Rampal-Mongla) constituency Sheikh Faridul Islam said the Prime Minister would inspect the port's facilities and the adjacent economic zone during his visit.

He said the government would pursue initiatives to attract Chinese investment, construct a bridge over the Mongla River and upgrade the Mongla-Khulna road to six lanes.

The initiatives would also aim to utilise transit facilities to transform Mongla Port into a major economic and logistics hub for the southwestern region.

The upcoming visit has generated optimism among local businesspeople, who expect concrete measures to address infrastructure and operational bottlenecks.

Mosharraf Hossain, president of the Mongla C&F Association, told BSS that uninterrupted gas and electricity supplies must be ensured to the Mongla Export Processing Zone (EPZ) and surrounding industrial areas.

Such measures would help reduce production costs and enable Bangladeshi businesses to remain competitive in global markets, he said.

He also called for a sustainable solution to dredging and maintaining the navigability of the Mongla River and port channel.

In addition, he stressed the need to make full use of rail and road networks to transport imported and exported goods to Dhaka and other parts of the country quickly and at lower costs.

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While contacting, Captain Rafiqul Islam, chairman of the Mongla Shipping Agents Association, said the number of vessels arriving at the port's jetty had been declining.

He called for a permanent solution to the dredging of the port channel and the launch of construction work on an airport in Rampal.

He also urged the government to eliminate irregularities to expedite import and export operations, expressing hope that the Prime Minister would issue necessary directives during the visit.

Mohammad Khorshed Alam, a businessman associated with Mongla Port, said the Mongla Port remained far behind Chattogram Port in import and export trade despite having considerable capacity.

He said businesses wanted the government to eliminate harassment associated with port operations and translate the Prime Minister's repeated pledges to create an investment-friendly environment into tangible action.

Meanwhile, although no party programme has been announced in connection with the Prime Minister's visit, enthusiasm has been running high among BNP leaders and activists.

Party supporters have organised processions across Bagerhat district, Dacope and adjacent areas of the Sundarbans to celebrate the visit.

Abdul Mannan Howlader, president of Mongla upazila BNP, said the BNP chairman had been working tirelessly to run the country and had already focused on developing Mongla Port.

The Prime Minister's visit is part of that effort, he said, adding that the upazila and municipal BNP units had organised celebratory processions and rallies.

He thanked the party chief for including Mongla Port in his itinerary and expressed gratitude for the visit.

Meanwhile, four-tier security has been taken by the law enforcing agencies ahead of the Prime Minister Tarique Rahman visit to Khulna on 22 October.