A four-member delegation of the World Bank (WB) discussed with Chattogram City Corporation (CCC) Mayor Freedom Fighter Md Rezaul Karim Chowdhury on various ongoing projects funded by the World Bank in Chattogram, including the Bay-Terminal and WASA projects.
Abdoulaye Seck, Country Director of World Bank Bangladesh and Bhutan, Operations Manager Gayle Martin, Programme Coordinator Dilshad Dossani, Senior Transport Specialist Cheick Diallo were present on behalf of the World Bank in the meeting at the CCC office on Wednesday morning.
The CCC Mayor said, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has invested heavily in exploiting the commercial potential of Chattogram. Meanwhile, the Karnaphuli underground tunnel will turn Chattogram into 'One City Two Towns'.
Abdoulaye Seck, Bangladesh and Bhutan country director of the World Bank, said about the Bay Terminal to make Bangladesh a high-middle income country, the amount of import and export should be increased. However, Bangladesh's position in the logistics sector needs to be strengthened for which the Bay-Terminal project needs to be completed successfully. If the Bay-Terminal is opened, the importance of Chattogram will increase not only in Bangladesh but in the whole of South Asia. There is also a need to prepare for the increase in vehicle pressure in the city if the bay-terminal is available.
CCC Mayor said that Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina is improving the communication system of the entire city through a project of Tk 2500 crores. Massive investment in Chattogram's infrastructure sector will increase industrialization, enrich foreign exchange earnings, and reduce unemployment.
Meanwhile, the delegation of the World Bank discussed the involvement and cooperation of CCC in the WASA drinking water and human waste management project. Various ongoing projects funded by the World Bank were also discussed in the meeting, including plans to control dengue in Chattogram.
