PM approves new highway to connect isolated district Bhola

Prime Minister Tarique Rahman has approved the construction of a new highway along the Rahmatpur–Hijla–Mehendiganj–Bhola route, a move designed to integrate the riverine island district of Bhola into the country's principal road network for the first time.

The decision was reached at a meeting held on Saturday at the Prime Minister's Office in Tejgaon, where Rahman underscored the imperative of establishing an integrated road system capable of surmounting the district's geographical constraints and facilitating uninterrupted communication and commercial activity. He duly instructed the relevant authorities to expedite the initiative, having weighed three competing proposals for establishing direct road connectivity between Bhola, Dhaka and Barisal before settling on the route put forward by the Roads and Highways Department. The chosen alignment will necessitate the widening of existing roads alongside the construction of new stretches and three small bridges, with the project's feasibility and viability to be assessed without delay.

Officials involved in the project anticipate that, once realised, the highway will furnish Bhola with direct road access to Barisal, Dhaka and other parts of the country, thereby curtailing both travel time and cost. The island's inhabitants have long been compelled to rely on waterways for transport on account of its riverine geography, a dependency the new road link is expected to substantially diminish; the Hijla–Mehendiganj–Bhola route, in particular, was highlighted as offering considerable savings in distance, time and expense, positioning it as a viable alternative corridor between the capital and Barisal.

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The meeting was attended by Road Transport, Bridges, Railways and Shipping Minister Sheikh Rabiul Alam, State Minister for the Ministry of Shipping and Bridges Division Rajib Ahsan, the Prime Minister's Special Assistant Shakirul Islam Khan, Road Transport and Highways Division Secretary Mohammad Ziaul Haque, Bridges Division Secretary Mohammad Abdur Rouf, and Chief Engineer of the Roads and Highways Department Md Moniruzzaman, among other senior officials.