After Touring the Sundarbans, Prime Minister Tarique Rahman Reaches Mongla Port by River, to Inspect Jetty and Proposed Economic Zone

Prime Minister Tarique Rahman has reached Mongla Port in Bagerhat by river after inspecting the Sundarbans and the Hiron Point area by helicopter. The vessel carrying the prime minister arrived at the pontoon of the Bangladesh Navy's Digraj base at 12:55 p.m. on Thursday.

Under the day's programme, the prime minister will join a meeting at the wardroom meeting room of the base after the midday break. According to the itinerary, he is scheduled to attend that meeting at 1:45 p.m.

He will then inspect the Mongla Port jetty at 3 p.m. At 3:15 p.m. he is scheduled to leave for the proposed economic zone of the Bangladesh Economic Zones Authority (BEZA) and inspect the area at 3:30 p.m. The prime minister is expected to return to Dhaka in the afternoon after completing the day's programme.

Earlier, Tarique Rahman left his residence by road at 8:30 a.m. for Tejgaon Airport. Reaching the airport at 9 a.m., he departed by helicopter for the Sundarbans. Around 10 a.m., he observed various parts of the Sundarbans, including Hiron Point, from the helicopter.

After viewing the world-heritage mangrove forest, the helicopter carrying him landed at 10:28 a.m. on the field of Nalian Secondary School in Dacope upazila of Khulna. From there he walked to the Nalian Coast Guard pontoon and at 10:48 a.m. departed by river for Mongla.

At the Nalian Bazar crossing, the prime minister waved to and shook hands with hundreds of waiting people. Local residents had gathered there since morning for a glimpse of him.

The remote coastal settlement of Nalian in Dacope had a festive atmosphere from the morning. Some were eager simply to see the prime minister, while others hoped the visit would end years of neglect.

Residents of the area, long beset by river erosion, a crisis of safe drinking water, weak transport links and limited infrastructure, see the prime minister's visit as a new door of possibility.

Security was tightened across the area for the visit. From the morning, members of the police, the President Guard Regiment (PGR), the navy, the coast guard and other law-enforcement agencies were on alert in and around the Nalian Secondary School field, and the landing site was also searched with a dog squad.

For the visit, the Local Government Engineering Department (LGED) laid bricks on roughly one kilometre of road from the paved road at the western end of Nalian Bazar eastwards to the Coast Guard office, and a helipad was prepared on the school field.

Accompanying the prime minister are Home Minister Salahuddin Ahmad, Commerce Minister Amir Khosru Mahmud Chowdhury, Road Transport and Bridges Minister Sheikh Rabiul Alam, Khulna-3 MP and Whip Rakibul Islam Bakul, Khulna-1 MP Amir Ejaz Khan, Khulna Divisional Commissioner Md Abdullah Harun and Deputy Commissioner Miz Hure Jannat, among other senior government officials.

Meanwhile, the visit has raised fresh expectations among local businesspeople and stakeholders around the expansion of Mongla Port, the establishment of the economic zone and a possible LNG terminal. They hope that if these initiatives are implemented, investment and employment opportunities in the southern region will grow.

Local administration officials, businesses and coastal residents are now watching to see whether any direction or announcement follows the prime minister's meeting and inspections in Mongla.