Feasibility study for new int’l airport to begin soon
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina yesterday informed parliament that a feasibility study on construction of the Bangabandhu International Airport on the other side of the Padma river, Madaripur will begin soon.
She said this while replying to lawmakers’ queries without giving any further details.Madaripur is around 75km from the capital, according to Google Map.
On September 22, last year, Civil Aviation Authority of Bangladesh signed a Tk 120 crore deal with a Japanese firm to conduct feasibility studies, selecting a suitable site and making a master plan for the airport to meet the growing air traffic. Under the agreement, Nippon Koei, founded in 1946, will finish its job in one and a half years.
The new airport will dethrone the capital’s Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport from being the hub aerodrome, constructed in the 60s for domestic use with just one runway with an annual capacity to deal with 8 million passengers.
Describing her government’s various measures to ensure electricity for all, the premier said her government has a plan to import 6,500MW power from neighbouring countries by 2030.
On the ongoing process of the construction of a nuclear power plant, she informed the House it would be possible to produce 2,200MW electricity from the plant by 2024.
Outlining her government’s plans to modernise manpower export process and to ensure safety of the expatriate workers and their family members, Hasina in a scripted answer said a draft law on “Expatriate Welfare Board-2017” will be placed in the cabinet very soon for approval.
She said the numbers of female migrant workers have increased significantly. In the last eight years 4.72 lakh female workers have gone abroad.
Hasina said her government is firmly determined to ensure security and establish rule of law in the country. “Law and order situation remains normal at present due to the present democratic government’s various measures,” she said.
Hasina also said her government has taken a “tourism mega plan” for the development and modernisation of tourism.
