PM's first Rajshahi visit tomorrow: long list of demands, including 'Education City' status, to be placed before him, says land minister Minu
Prime Minister Tarique Rahman is coming to Rajshahi on Tuesday (20 October). It will be his first visit to Rajshahi as prime minister. Final preparations are under way across the city, and on Monday (19 October) afternoon Land Minister Mizanur Rahman Minu, MP, spoke to the media about the latest preparations.
During the visit, the prime minister will join a public rally at Rajshahi's historic Madrasa field. He will also exchange views with members of the Hindu community on the occasion of the Sharodiya Durga festival. According to the deputy commissioner, the prime minister is coming to share in the joy of Durga Puja.
Land Minister Minu said that although the visit had to be prepared at short notice, there is great enthusiasm and emotion among the people of Rajshahi. This is Tarique Rahman's first visit to Rajshahi as prime minister, and his arrival has generated wide interest among ordinary people as well as party leaders and activists.
He said that, considering the interests of agriculture and farmers in the northern region, the prime minister will give a special message for sugarcane growers on this visit. Local leaders believe that message will carry special significance for the people of the agriculture-dependent north.
Describing the visit as significant, Minu said that as the son of martyred president Ziaur Rahman and former prime minister Khaleda Zia, Tarique Rahman's arrival holds special importance for the people of Rajshahi. He also claimed that through a long 17-year struggle, Tarique Rahman has united the people of the country.
Rajshahi's long-standing demands and expectations will be placed before the prime minister during this visit. Leaders plan to raise the development-related demands in the presence of the industries minister and the relevant advisers.
At the top of the list of demands is an effective system for seed preservation. For years, farmers in this agriculture-dependent region have been waiting for proper facilities to preserve quality seed.
Another major demand is upgrading Rajshahi airport into a full-fledged international airport. The list also includes establishing an agriculture-based export processing zone (EPZ), which, if implemented, could give new momentum to agricultural exports and employment in the region.
Demands in the education and health sectors include completing the construction of Rajshahi Medical University quickly and establishing a full-fledged agricultural university.
One of the most discussed demands is the formal declaration of Rajshahi city as an 'Education City'. Residents hope the city's long-standing identity as a home to many educational institutions will receive official recognition.
The rally at the Madrasa field has generated wide interest among ordinary people alongside party leaders and activists, and those involved are busy with last-minute preparations.
All eyes in Rajshahi and across the northern region are now on Tuesday's visit: what message the prime minister gives on the demands, and what announcement comes for farmers, including sugarcane growers.
