Rajshahi, one of the country's cleanest cities, has adopted a festive look with well-decorated streetlights, colourful festoons, and banners to welcome Awami League President and Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, who will deliver a speech at a mammoth public rally in the city on Sunday.
The ruling party will formally start its election campaign in the country's northern regions through this public rally.
Rajshahi, a divisional district of Bangladesh, has long been known as the country's city of education because of its several famous educational institutions. The current Rajshahi has almost every modern facility, as the current government led by Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has spent hundreds of crores on various development works in the division.
Awami League leaders are optimistic that supporters of all parties, not only the ruling party, would participate in the rally to express their warm gratitude to the prime minister for the transformation of the city.
While talking with reporters at the historic Madrasa ground of Rajshahi where the rally stage has been installed, Awami League General Secretary Obaidul Quader on Saturday said: “Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina's development has changed Bangladesh as well as Rajshahi too. In the last 14 years under the leadership of Sheikh Hasina, Rajshahi has been changed and turned into a well-developed city. Now our leader will showcase the changes before the people of Rajshahi and will seek their support and vote for Awami League to win in the next national parliament election, as the next polls are scheduled to be held after only one year.”
This is the Awami League president's first visit to Rajshahi in five years. She visited the city in February 2018 just before the 11th national parliament election and gave a speech on the same ground.
While talking with Dhaka Tribune on Saturday, Jahangir Kabir Nanak, a presidium member of Awami League, said: “The people of Rajshahi and the surrounding districts are eagerly waiting to join the public rally of Sheikh Hasina. We are thinking this rally will break the record all previous rallies in this city.”
“The rally ground has a sitting arrangements for 40,000 people, but the mass people will spread around the city to listen to Prime Minister's speech,” said Abdur Rahman, another presidium member of Awami League.
A team of Awami League central leaders have been working with local leaders of Rajshahi for the last week to make this rally successful. The rally is being jointly arranged by the Rajshahi city and district units of the ruling party.
Awami League President Sheikh Hasina started political rallies for the 12th national election from Jessore, before addressing political rallies in Chittagong and Cox's bazar.
Party insiders said the premier will attend big political rallies in Sylhet, Jhalokathi, and Rangpur in the upcoming days.
In every political rally, Sheikh Hasina has been showcasing the development work under the consecutive three terms of the running government and seeking vote from the people for the next parliament election to keep the flow of development uninterrupted.
Development projects in Rajshahi
The prime minister and Awami League president is expected to inaugurate 25 projects involving around Tk1,316.97 crore. The premier is also likely to lay the foundation stones of six other projects with an estimated cost of around Tk376.28 crore.
Recently completed development projects include: Flyover at Mohanpur Rail Crossing, Rajshahi Police Headquarters Building, Rajshahi Civil Surgeon Office building, Sheikh Russel Shishu Park, two-storey hostel with six storey foundation for Girl Students of Rajshahi Government Girls College, five storey academic building at Rajshahi Charghat Technical School and College, Multipurpose Bhaban at Rajshahi Medical College Hospital, Padma River Protection Dam at Charghat and Bagha Upazilas in Rajshahi, Land Reclamation and Increasing Navigation through Padma River Dredging at Charghat and Bagha Upazilas.
According to official sources, the implemented projects also include the Mural of Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman. Rajshahi City Corporation (RCC) has built the mural at Rajshahi city's C&B Crossing at a cost of around Tk5.03 crore.
The RCC has constructed the mural as part of its Tk2,993-crore project, titled “Integrated Urban Infrastructure Development in Rajshahi City”. The height of the mural is 58 feet with a 50-feet tall and 40-feet-wide Bangabandhu photo in the main part of the mural.
There are terracotta works in the 700-feet of space on both sides of the boundary wall of the mural. The mural is visible at night due to decorative electric bulbs.
Another project, the Sheikh Russel Shishu Shishu Park, has been sorely needed, say local people.
Initiated by the RCC, the park was established on 2.14 acres of land in Chhotobangram area with an estimated cost of around Tk4.43 crore.
The flyover on Mohanpur Railway Crossing has been built at a cost of Tk40.80 crore. The flyover is already attracting tourists to the area, which has raised business prospects for many.
The four-lane road and road divider with a separate lane for slow moving vehicles from Vadra Rail Crossing to Nawdapara bus terminal has been built at a cost of Tk69.78 crore. Due to the infrastructural development, many hope that the project will to help locals generate revenue and bring a change to the overall socio economic situation of the area.
The four-lane road and road divider including a separate lane for slow-moving vehicles from
The Bondhogate to City Hat road has been elevated to four-late at a cost of Tk44.92 crore. A 3.5 kilometre stretch of the road has been widened up to 80 feet and the pavements have also been improved on both sides.
Regarding the overall development work, the mayor told Dhaka Tribune that the facelift of Rajshahi has been praised by people from home and abroad. The city looks clean during the day and well lit at night.
