The government will take steps to reopen the abandoned Moghalhat land port and develop the required infrastructure once an agreement is finalised with the neighbouring country, Disaster Management and Relief Minister Asadul Habib Dulu said on Sunday.
He also said the government was working to address major development and infrastructure needs in Lalmonirhat, including issues related to the Teesta River and the local airport.
Dulu made the remarks while speaking as the chief guest at a discussion during his visit to the long-defunct Moghalhat land port in Lalmonirhat Sadar.
The Rangpur regional office of the Press Information Department (PID) issued a press release on the visit.
“We will be able to undertake the necessary infrastructure work for the Moghalhat land port once an agreement with the concerned country is reached,” Dulu said.
The minister said the government’s objective was to improve communication and infrastructure in Lalmonirhat to make people’s lives easier.
He stressed that development efforts should not be limited to small-scale projects.
“Alongside major projects, essential infrastructure must be developed so that people can benefit from them. Implementing such initiatives takes time, and we have been working on these issues since the government took office,” he said.
Dulu also referred to Prime Minister Tarique Rahman’s scheduled visit to Lalmonirhat on 19 November.
He said the prime minister would visit to observe the development of the “Alokita Lalmonirhat” social initiative and see how local people had become involved in it.
According to Dulu, Tarique Rahman wants to apply the experience from the initiative to other parts of the country. The visit could also create opportunities to further improve development and communication infrastructure in the area, he said.
“It is a matter of pride that the people of Lalmonirhat have voluntarily worked hard to take this initiative forward,” Dulu said.
Speaking as a special guest, State Minister for Shipping Rajib Ahsan said reopening Moghalhat port could allow goods such as stone and coal to be transported through the facility.
He said using the port could reduce transportation costs compared with other ports while creating greater opportunities for Bangladeshi exports.
Razib Ahsan said any development involving the port would be based on mutual consent and the shared interests of both countries.
“Proposals will be formulated after discussions with the leadership of the respective countries,” he said.
He added that both sides would work to move the initiative forward and that operations could begin once approval was secured from both countries.
The meeting was chaired by Bangladesh Land Port Authority Chairman Mohammad Manjarul Mannan.
Lalmonirhat Deputy Commissioner Muhammad Rashedul Haque Prodhan, Superintendent of Police Md Asaduzzaman and District Council Administrator AKM Mominul Haque, among others, attended the event.
