Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Tuesday categorically said the Dhaka Mass Transit Company Limited (DMTCL), Dhaka Metro Rail owning public sector company, would go public after launching its commercial operation.
The prime minister announced this while addressing the meeting of the Executive Committee on National Economic Council (ECNEC) at NEC auditorium in Sher-e-Bangla Nagar on Tuesday.
Minister for Planning MA Mannan disclosed the PM's remarks at a press briefing that followed the ECNEC meeting.
"PM said this during ordinary discussions at the meeting. She (PM) said that the company (DMTCL) would grow strong someday and it will go to the capital market. People will buy its share, and own it," Mannan told the briefing.
The planning minister, quoting the PM, also said that the company would run from its own income from selling tickets.
"Initially, we (the government) established the company. In the future, its management will operate independently," he added.
The DMTCL is implementing the construction work of Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) lines and other associate infrastructures.
The MRT line -6 is being constructed from Uttara to Motijheel with an extension plan up to Kamalpur. The project's implementation progress was 30.05% as of September, 2019.
The country’s first-ever metro rail line is expected to open for traffic on December 16, 2021 to mark celebration of golden jubilee of the country's independence.
Meanwhile, the ECNEC on Tuesday approved two more metro rail projects — MRT-1 and MRT-5 — involving total cost of Tk93,799.98 crore.
