Prime Minister Tarique Rahman has said that the government is planning to gradually expand basic services, including employment, education, medical treatment, in all regions of the country to reduce population and infrastructure pressure on the capital Dhaka.
He said the government’s long-term goal is to ensure integrated development across the country by changing the Dhaka-centric development framework.
The prime minister said this while addressing a question-and-answer session of the first session of the 13th parliament on Wednesday. Speaker Hafiz Uddin Ahmed presided over the session.
The prime minister said people from different parts of the country are facing Dhaka as employment, developed education and specialized medical services have been mainly capital-centric for many years. To change this reality, the government will step up to expand the necessary infrastructure and services at the district and divisional levels.
“Efforts are being made to build basic facilities in all parts of the country so that people are not forced to come to Dhaka for jobs, medical treatment or education,” he said.
The government said work is underway to establish special industrial zones, advanced healthcare centres and quality educational institutions in different parts of the country. He hoped that if these initiatives were implemented, the capital-oriented internal migration would be reduced and the regional economy would be further accelerated.
According to urban planners, the development of infrastructure in the capital is not enough to reduce Dhaka’s population density and civic pressure; it is essential to build alternative economic and administrative centres. If the decentralization plan announced by the government is implemented effectively, it can play an important role in balanced development and sustainable urban management.
According to the government, this policy will reduce the pressure on Dhaka as well as reduce regional inequality and establish the overall economic balance of the country.