Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Saturday said that the Awami League government has taken significant measures to shut down arms smuggling routes through Bangladesh to India, fostering peace in India's north-eastern states.
“Since coming to power, the Awami League has closed down the routes used for arms smuggling through Bangladesh,” she stated.
The prime minister made these remarks during a program inaugurating various development projects in Old Dhaka, including the construction of a new 10-storey Bangabazar Nagar Wholesale Market. The original market was destroyed by a devastating fire on April 4 last year.
The other projects inaugurated include Valiant Freedom Fighter Sheikh Fazlul Haque Moni Sarani (an 8-lane road), Hossain Shaheed Suhrawardy Shishu Udyan, and Nazrul Sarobor.
Prime Minister Hasina emphasised the impact of the Awami League's efforts to curb arms smuggled to various Indian separatist groups, including the United Liberation Front of Assam (ULFA).
“As a result, peace prevails in the seven sister states of India. The Awami League has done this, and it is a significant accomplishment,” she added.
The ULFA is an armed militant organization operating in Assam, seeking to establish an independent sovereign nation for the Assamese people through armed struggle. The Government of India banned ULFA in 1990, citing it as a terrorist organisation.
The seven sister states of India are Mizoram, Assam, Manipur, Meghalaya, Tripura, Arunachal Pradesh, and Nagaland.
The inauguration program was presided over by LGRD Minister Md Tazul Islam. Dhaka South City Corporation Mayor Barrister Sheikh Fazle Noor Taposh, local MP AFM Bahauddin Nasim, and LGRD Secretary Muhammad Ibrahim also spoke at the event.
Construction of new Bangabazar Market inaugurated
The new market comes after a devastating fire on April 4, 2023, which destroyed over 2,931 shops in Dhaka’s Bangabazar Shopping Complex, severely impacting the livelihoods of thousands of traders just weeks before Eid.
The planned 10-storey building will occupy 106.28 katha of land and feature four blocks, five general stairways, six emergency stairways, and 3,213 shops ranging from 80 to 110 square feet each, reports BSS.
Each floor will also include a 250-square-foot food court and separate toilet blocks.
The market will be equipped with eight lifts—four for passengers and four for goods. The roads around the market will be 7-10 feet wide to ensure easy access. Additionally, the building will feature an advanced fire fighting system and underground parking for 169 cars and 109 motorcycles.
A total of 2,961 shops will be allocated to the shop owners affected by the fire in Bangabazar, Gulistan, Mahanagar, and Adarsha Hawkers Market. An additional 244 shops will be available through an application process.
Dhaka South City Corporation has stated that the market construction will be completed by December 2026.
