Professor Muhammad Yunus, Chief Adviser to the Interim Government, has called for accelerating the combined development of roads, railways, air and waterways while keeping nature, environment and rivers free from negative impacts.
He made this call at the Inter-Ministerial Meeting on Mid-Term Evaluation and Strategic Planning of the “Central Integrated Multimodal Transport Sector Master Plan of Bangladesh” at the State Guest House Jamuna on Sunday (November 02, 2025).
Planning Adviser Wahiduddin Mahmud, Adviser to the Ministry of Road Transport and Bridges and Railways Muhammad Fauzul Kabir Khan, Adviser to the Ministry of Civil Aviation and Tourism Sheikh Bashiruddin, Shipping Adviser Brigadier General (Retd.) Dr. M Sakhawat Hossain, Adviser to the Ministry of Local Government, Rural Development and Cooperatives Asif Mahmud Sajeeb Bhuiyan, Special Assistant to the Chief Adviser in charge of the Ministry of Road Transport and Bridges and the Ministry of Railways Dr. Sheikh Moinuddin, Executive Chairman of Bangladesh Investment Development Authority (BIDA) and BEZA Chowdhury Ashiq Mahmud Bin Harun, and Special Assistant to the Chief Adviser in charge of the Ministry of Posts, Telecommunication and Information Technology Faiz Ahmed Tayyab, along with secretaries and high-ranking officials of the concerned ministries.
At the meeting, the Chief Adviser said, “Our communication system is in a very bad state, if it is not brought into order quickly, the entire system will become a noose for the economy.”
He said, “We have to do this work without causing any harm to the environment. There should be no harm to the river, the water should be kept calm, we should remember that water is a great resource for us.”
In the meeting, the Roads and Highways Department presented a preliminary strategic plan, which was prepared by officials of the concerned ministries on the basis of mutual coordination.
This plan shows how the entire communication system can be brought into order by coordinating all types of communication systems in the entire country and making minor reforms and additions where necessary.
It says that if the existing railways, waterways and roads in the country are used properly and expanded in some cases, it is possible to make great progress in this regard.
Thanking the concerned for preparing the plan by coordinating all the systems in the communication sector, the Chief Adviser said that this plan has initially yielded a strong idea. Now effective initiatives need to be taken to implement it.
He said that the entire plan must be made keeping economic prosperity in mind. Along with internal planning, emphasis should also be given to regional and global communication systems.
“When we think of rivers as a means of communication, we must keep in mind that rivers are our lifeblood,” said the Chief Adviser.
In the discussion on the preliminary plan, the Chief Adviser’s Special Assistant Dr. Sheikh Moinuddin said that an attempt is being made to establish a comprehensive model in the field of communication. Work is being done in such a way that the economic lifeline is developed.
Planning Adviser Wahiduddin Mahmud said that in cases where it is possible to bring the entire region within the national connectivity by constructing some small roads, plans should be formulated quickly.
Local Government Adviser Asif Mahmud said that the ministry has taken the initiative to form a planners wing in the Local Government Department to make the work of the Local Government Department more planned.
BIDA Chairman Ashiq Chowdhury said that three more new ports will be launched in Chittagong by 2030. Keeping this in mind, initiatives must be taken quickly to make road communication from these ports easy and effective.
