Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and others seen at the inaugural ceremony of 2nd South Asia Maritime and Logistics Forum 2018 at a city hotel on Tuesday — Focus Bangla Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina underscored on Tuesday the need for proper utilisation of the maritime sector for massive socioeconomic development of the peoples of this region, reports BSS.
"There is a huge potential of maritime sector in South Asia and utilising the sector, it's possible to make a big lead into the socioeconomic development of the peoples of this region," she told the inaugural function of the Second South Asia Maritime and Logistic Forum 2018 at city hotel on Tuesday afternoon.
"We don't think only about our own country, we also give importance to the socioeconomic development of all people of this region through regional cooperation and maintaining contact," added the premier.
Sheikh Hasina said her government is committed to improving navigability of the rivers and ensuring safe and secure river routes for transportation of people and goods.
"Initiatives have been undertaken to dredge the rivers for maintaining navigability," she said.
The Prime Minister expressed her optimism that her government will be able to adopt a time-befitting work plan in the maritime sector to ensure a modern, efficient and green transport system for Bangladesh.
"I hope that we will be able to adopt a time-befitting work plan in the maritime sector to ensure a modern, efficient and green transport system for Bangladesh and low carbon strategy will be our prime concern so that climate change cannot harm the country," she said.
The ministry of shipping in cooperation with the Colombo International Maritime Conference Events and India's Gateway Media Pvt Ltd has jointly organised the two-day event to attract investment in infrastructure and innovation of new technology in the shipping sector.
Shipping Minister Shajahan Khan, Indian Union Minister for Shipping and Road Transport Mansukh Mandaviya, Sri Lankan State Minister for National Policy and Economic Affairs Dr Harsha De Silva, Editor-in-Chief of India's Gateway Media Pvt Ltd Ram Prasad Ravi and Bangladesh's Shipping Secretary Md Abdus Samad also spoke at the function. A short audio-video presentation on Bangladesh's maritime sector was screened at the function.
Pointing out that water transport is low-cost, energy-efficient and environment-friendly, the premier said restoring the primacy of inland water transport as a logical and competitive mode of transportation is one of the key priorities for the government of Bangladesh.
"We've taken steps to reopen the closed river routes," she said, adding dredging is highly economically justified for Bangladesh.
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