PM envisions modernised Mongla Port as economic hub for southwest, northwest regions

Prime Minister Tarique Rahman on Thursday said the modernisation and expansion of Mongla Port will turn it into a promising economic hub for the country’s south-western and north-western regions, with the government planning to expand road connectivity, port supply chains and cargo transport facilities from Panchagarh to the Bay of Bengal.
“If Mongla Port is modernised and its facilities are expanded...it will become a promising economic hub for the country’s south-west and north-west,” he said.
The prime minister said this while addressing the foundation-stone-laying ceremony of the Tk4,068 crore “Mongla Port Facilities Expansion and Modernisation Project” in Mongla this morning, reports BSS.
He said the capacity-building and modernisation of the port will strengthen trade links with different parts of the country and help expand economic activities. 
There is huge scope to expand economic activities in the south-western region, including Khulna, Bagerhat, Satkhira and Jashore, centred on the port, he said.
The prime minister said, “Development of Khan Jahan Ali Airport is also one of our priorities. In the present global order, it is extremely important to keep energy and food security effective and prioritised above all.”
“I firmly believe Mongla Port, as a complementary port for importing fuel, fertiliser, food grains and industrial raw materials and exporting domestic products, can further enrich national economic security,” he added.
He laid the foundation stone of the project, which includes two container jetties and related infrastructure, at 11:15 am.
Once the project is implemented, container trains from Dhaka’s Kamalapur Inland Container Depot (ICD) will be able to run directly to Mongla Port, turning it into a major import-export hub of the country, he said.
Under the modernisation project, necessary infrastructure, including a modern container terminal, yard and cargo handling facilities, is being built, he said.
Noting that the project’s success does not end with the completion of construction, the prime minister said, “The real success of any project depends on how much port service quality improves, how much the time and cost of cargo handling are reduced, how much investment and employment grow, and how much the environment is protected.”
Highlighting the country’s economic target, the prime minister said his government has set the goal of turning Bangladesh into a $1 trillion economy by 2030.
“To achieve this goal, top priority is being given to investment, industrialisation, export diversification, energy and food security, and skilled human resource development,” he said.
The prime minister urged international stakeholders, development partners and, in particular, expatriate Bangladeshis to come forward with investment to help make the country self-reliant.
In this context, he said the government is committed to ensuring a favourable investment climate, easy service procedures, reliable infrastructure and policy continuity.
“The modernisation of Mongla Port is only one step in the plan to transform Bangladesh into a $1 trillion economy,” he added.
“So, it is extremely necessary to ensure the port’s navigability, the reliability of the navigation channel, the safe movement of ships and competitive port services,” he said.
The prime minister also said Mongla Port must now be made attractive to international shipping companies and developed into a port of first call on suitable commercial and operational terms.
He said the government has taken steps to supply gas as quickly as possible to existing industries and to those who may set up new ones in the area. “Work has already been started to this end,” he said.
Recalling the region’s industrial past, he said Khulna and the surrounding areas once had many mills and factories. “We want to bring back that lost heritage,” he said.
PM announces energy infrastructure development
“Energy infrastructure will be built from Mongla to the northern region of the country... adequate power and gas supply must be ensured to accelerate economic activities in this region,” said Tarique Rahman while exchanging views with a high-level Chinese delegation led by China Railway Construction Corporation (CRCC) Chairman Dai Hegen, according to PM’s Deputy Press Secretary Jahidul Islam Rony.
Prior to the meeting, a memorandum of understanding (MoU) on economic and infrastructure cooperation was signed between Invest Bangladesh and CRCC, a Chinese state-owned company, in the presence of the prime minister in Mongla, Bagerhat.
Noting the shared commitment of Bangladesh and China to strengthening bilateral cooperation, he urged Chinese investors to come forward to expand industrialisation and economic activities centred on Mongla.
The prime minister further said cooperation between Bangladesh and China will open up new prospects for investment, industrialisation and infrastructure development.
He also extended special thanks to the Chinese delegation for their support in recruiting Bangladeshi workers at Chinese companies in the Middle East.
Invest Bangladesh Member (Industrial Zone) Saleh Ahmed and Li Chongyang, Chairman of China Engineering Construction Corporation, a CRCC subsidiary, signed the agreement on behalf of their respective organisations.
Under the MoU, the two sides will assess the potential for investment and expand cooperation in key sectors, including energy, industrial and environmentally friendly infrastructure, transport, logistics and human resource development.
Invest Bangladesh will help connect prospective investors with relevant public and private stakeholders and coordinate their engagement.
‘People will give conspirators befitting reply, as in 2024’
Prime Minister Tarique Rahman said the people will unitedly give a befitting reply, as they did in 2024, to those conspiring to destroy the country’s industries.
In this context, he assured workers that a new minimum wage will be fixed for them within a month or two. 
“We will stand against the conspirators with all our strength, together with the people of the country, the working people and our brothers and sisters among the workers. Just as the people of Bangladesh gave them a befitting reply in 2024, they will be given a befitting reply in the same way in the days ahead.,” he said.
The prime minister was addressing a roadside meeting at Katakhali intersection on the Khulna-Mongla highway at 12:30pm, on his way to visit the mazar of Hazrat Khan Jahan Ali (R) in Bagerhat.
Tarique Rahman said the people’s government has been established and has taken up work and plans to change the fate of the general masses, but the conspirators want to derail them.
“They (ousted forces) are now pulling strings from across the border and trying to create disorder and chaos in the country. Not only that, they are about to destroy the country’s mills and factories,” he said.
On the wage board, the prime minister said the elected government is working day and night to solve the country’s problems and expand industry and trade so that people can live well.
The wage board has already started work and will fix a new minimum wage within a month or two, he said, so that workers can live even better.
The prime minister said BNP had promised, if it formed the government, to create jobs, reopen closed public and private mills and factories, and encourage local and foreign investors to set up new industries.
“We will try to reopen the mills and factories that have been shut down across the country at different times, especially the public ones. Alongside that, we will encourage investors at home and abroad to set up new mills and factories, because we want to create employment for the country’s young people,” he said.
The government wants to set up thousands of factories, from the south-west, including Khulna, Bagerhat, Kushtia and Chuadanga, to Panchagarh in the north, added the premier.
After the roadside meeting, he visited the mazar of Hazrat Khan Jahan Ali (R) in Bagerhat. 
The mazar’s head Khadem, Fakir Tariqul Islam, and Bagerhat Deputy Commissioner Golam Md Baten received the prime minister when he arrived at the mazar premises. The prime minister recited Fateha and offered munajat at the mazar.
He also attended the opening ceremony of Notun Kuri Sports (Season-2) at the Khulna District Stadium in the afternoon.