For decades, Patuakhali was well-known for Kuakata, or the “daughter of the sea”, and the elegant view of the sunset from the sea beach. But the condition of infrastructure and other facilities for tourists was insufficient, and the journey from Dhaka was unsafe and time-consuming. Elsewhere, the district was an underdeveloped area that had been neglected for decades.
But a wind of change has transformed everything: Patuakhali is now a role model for Bangladesh, outshining many other districts in terms of development activities and creating immense opportunities in the last decade. The whole district is being developed as a special economic zone.
The image of the district has changed with the construction of mega projects, notably the Payra Thermal Power Station, BNS Sher-e-Bangla—the country's largest naval base, Payra Sea Port, and Payra Bridge. Therefore, rugged and erosion-prone areas like Kalapara and Rangabali upazilas have become important hubs for economic activities.
Dhaka TribunePrime Minister Sheikh Hasina commissioned the first naval base of the region in Kalapara on July 12, with four patrol craft and four Landing Craft Utilities (LCUs). It accommodates almost state-of-the-art training and aviation facilities for about 1,600 young sailors on about 700 acres of land. The project has been implemented at a cost of about Tk1,100 crore.
On the opposite side of the naval base, the country's largest coal-based thermal power plant (1,320MW) has been constructed in the Dhankhali area of Kalapara on about 1,000 acres of land. Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and Chinese President Xi Jinping laid the foundation stone of the Payra thermal power plant on October 14, 2016.
The construction of the first 660MW-unit of the project has been completed, with electricity being added to the national grid. The second unit may take time till December 2024 to start production.
Due to the establishment of the Payra sea port at Kalapara, on which agriculture and fisheries depend, the upazila has now become a hub for economic activities.
On November 19, 2013, the prime minister unveiled the plaque of the port. She inaugurated the formal product release program at the port on August 13, 2016.
At present, the construction of necessary infrastructure, including an 11km-jetty, is going on in the Ramnabad Channel. A full-fledged Payra port is expected to be made operational in 2025.
On the other hand, many private investors are building industrial establishments centering around the port. For this reason, the price of land has increased many times.
Meanwhile, Rangabali, a remote upazila of the district near the sea and surrounded by rivers, had been without electricity for many years. Now the whole area has been brought under coverage. On September 2 last year, some 19,000 families were given electricity connections.
Dhaka TribuneOnce there were several ferries to go to Patuakhali and Kuakata from Dhaka. The construction of the Payra Bridge, which is 1,470 metres or 4,820 feet in length and was opened in June 2021, ended the need for ferry crossings on the 111.5km journey from Barisal to Kuakata.
The Lebukhali ferry terminal was in place for a long time. However, with the construction of the bridge, the area has now become a prosperous township and tourist destination.
On the Patuakhali-Kuakata highway from Dhaka, passengers do not need to use ferries to cross any river. The construction of the Padma Bridge has eased travel time significantly and inspired more people to visit the coastal district.
The bridge was built at a cost of Tk 1,170 crore with joint investment from the Kuwait Fund for Arab Economic Development, OPEC Fund for International Development, and the Bangladesh government under the supervision of a Chinese contractor.
Dhaka Tribune“Patuakhali is changing. Kalapara Upazila was a remote area. But on the initiative of the government, it has the Payra power plant on one side and the Sher-e-Bangla naval base on the other side of the river,” District Awami League President Kazi Alamgir said.
The lawmaker from Kalapara-Rangabali Upazila (Patuakhali-4) constituency, Md Mohibbur Rahman, said: “The naval base will play an important role in the protection, extraction, and security of the country's marine resources, including fish. In terms of geopolitical location, the Payra port is more convenient and in a safer position compared to other ports in the country.”
He added that the projects are part of the premier's far-reaching plans to build a Smart Bangladesh and to utilize the Blue Economy.
Deputy Commissioner Md Nur Kutubul Alam took charge of Patuakhali district a few days ago.
“I hope that the development activities will continue,” he told Dhaka Tribune.
