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Tulip farming opens new opportunity for farmers in Tetulia, Jashore
Enterprising farmers in parts of Bangladesh are changing the landscape with colourful Tulip flowers.
Thanks to their entrepreneurship tropical Bangladesh has for the first time joined the cold countries and region like the Netherlands, Switzerland, Turkey and Kashmir (India) in growing the spring-blooming flowers.
In Bangladesh Tulips are being grown in Sariyaljot and Darjipara villages of Tetulia upazila of Panchagarh border and also in Godkhali of Jashore, famous as flower capital, during the winter.
The Tulips grow best in full sun in the North and partial shade in the South. Tulip bulbs, pointed end up, need to be planted in well-drained soil with a pH between 6 and 7, according to experts.
And this climate and soil can be found in Bangladesh too. And so Tulips have mesmerized the people of northern parts of Bangladesh this year.
Last year, in Gazipur, a local flower farmer Md Delowar Hossain cultivated Tulips for the first time in his garden -- 'Moumita Flowers'. But now, the dazzling display of Tulips has now enveloped the landscape of Northern parts of the country.
How Tulips bloom in lands of Tetulia & Jashore
Farmers in Sariyaljot and Darjipara villages of Tentulia said Tulip's buds come in just 18 days of nurture and start blooming in 20-21 days.
Agriculturists say this plant is a perennial and tuber species that belongs to the family Liliaceae. In the case of tulip flower cultivation, it is tolerant to 15 degrees Celsius during daytime and 10 degrees Celsius at night. The buds of this flower come within 18-20 days from the day of planting and last for 25-60 days.
A meeting with journalists was held on January 26 at Tetulia Mahananda Cottage on Eco-Social Development Organization's (ESDO) value chain pilot project to determine the feasibility of expanding tulip flower cultivation in the northern part of the country.
ESDO Senior Assistant Program Coordinator (APC) and Tulip Flower Cultivation Project Coordinator Md Ainul Haque discussed various aspects of the project.
He said the ESDO, a non-governmental development partner organization in collaboration with the Palli Karma-Sahayak Foundation (PKSF), under the Valuation Piloting Project to determine the feasibility of expanding tulip flower cultivation in the northern part of the country.
Around 40,000 bulbs brought from the Netherlands have been planted in three plots on 40 decimals of land of eight marginal farmers of Sharialjot and Darjipara villages of Tetulia union of Tetulia upazila.
Tulip flower bulbs (seeds) were officially planted on January 1 this year in the presence of ESDO Executive Director Dr Muhammad Shahid Uz Zaman, Director (Administration) Selima Akhtar and other officials of the Department of Agriculture.
"Besides the bulbs, we provided the farmers with free chemical fertilizers, organic fertilizers, husks, shade nets and fencing nets. Besides, it has been developed by cultivating flowers in the hands of farmers," said Project Coordinator Md Ainul Haque.
Flower growers here said that they planted tulips here in winter although it is a spring flower abroad.
Twelve varieties of tulips of different species have been cultivated under this pilot project in Tetulia. Among them--Antarctica (White), Dutch Sunrise (Yellow), Purple Prince (Purple), Timeless (Red White Shade), Milksake (Light Pink), Barcelona (Dark Pink), Ad Rem (Orange), Lalibela (Red), the France (Red), Ripley (Orange), Denmark (Orange), Strong Gold (Yellow) and other species of tulips are in full bloom and new flowers are blooming in the gardens every day.
Meanwhile in Jashore's Godkhali, Tulips have been planted experimentally in only five decimals of land. About a month after sowing the bulbs, Tulips started blooming.
Many did not even imagine that foreign flowers would be cultivated in this region.
Flower grower Ismail Hossain said the dazzling tulips of different colours have started blooming in his garden from the second week of January.
The costs & potentials of Tulip farming
Due to low temperature in winter in Panchagarh district, there is huge potential for cultivation of tulips.
Mukta Begum, Anwara Begum, Sumi Akter, Ayesha Begum, Hosneara Begum, Monowara Begum, Morsheda Begum and Sajeda Begum, all female members of ESDO and farmers of Sharialjot and Darjipara villages of Tentulia, have proved that possibility.
They said the total cost of bulbs or seedlings, shed nets, fencing nets, chemical fertilizers, organic fertilizers, pesticides and labor costs is around Tk 30 to 32 lakh. The bulbs or seeds from the Netherlands were bought at Tk 61.80 per flower for the cultivation, said ESDO Senior Assistant Program Coordinator.
If 40,000 tulip flowers can be sold at the rate of Tk 100, the farmers will earn Tk 8 lakh in just two months from 40 decimals of land.
At other times of the year, locals and exotic flowers can be cultivated in these lands. They have also created a small amusement park in the flower garden and introduced entrance fees for tourists and flower lovers. In this way, they can earn extra money without selling flowers, said the female flower growers.
Success in planting and growing tulips in Panchagarh as the Himalayan daughter or winter-prone region has raised the possibility of exporting tulips to meet the local demand in the future. They said they will cultivate tulips on about five decimals of land next year if they make a financial profit by selling flowers.
They also said that in the beginning they had unknown fears and anxieties but they succeeded in cultivating flowers by using their labour and talent on the advice of ESDO and Agriculture Department.
Coastal women on their way to success armed with education
The women from coastal areas who got married before passing JDC or SSC examinations.are on their way to success thanks to the cooperation of their husband and their own efforts.
Some had to sit for the test while pregnant. Some had to feed their breast-feeding children at the center during the test. Since the marriage, they have been doing household chores. Yet the women of the coast do not stop due to their indomitable will. Like Secondary School Certificate (SSC) and Dakhil, they are also successful in Higher Secondary Certificate (HSC) and Alim examinations by the grace of Allah.The women of Koyra, a coastal upazila of Khulna, have been affected by natural calamities, poverty, child marriage etc.However, they moved forward by maintaining good relations with their husbands leaving behind all these obstacles including social barriers and are successfully advancing in education.Redwana Akhter Meem, a mother of two, is the eldest daughter of Kamal Uddin, a shopkeeper of Deyara Paschimpara in Koyra Upazila. She married Nassir Hossain of Shimla's Ait Gram while studying in class eight. Her husband worked in a project of the Fisheries Department. After getting married, she has to go to a different upazila with her husband for her husband's job purpose.Although she stopped going to school after marriage, her husband's inspiration later accelerated her studies. Besides maintaining her family, she continued her studies at home. Being educated, her husband used to help her in teaching at home. At one stage, she passed JDC with GPA-4.55 in 2017 from Jaipur Shimlaraite Daruchunnah Dakhil Madrasa. Later, she passed the Dakhil exam from the same madrasa in 2019 with GPA-4.06 while pregnant and she was blessed with a baby boy.Later, 3 months before the Alim exam, she welcomed another baby boy. In this year's Alim examination, she achieved GPA-4.36 from Kalna Aminia Fazil Madrasa. Meem said that she always get her husband's support and inspiration.
Read: Revenue declined by Tk 26.75 cr due to covid restrictions on Benapole portShamima Akhter, another woman from Talimpur village in Rupsha upazila of Khulna. While studying in class ten, she got married to an honors student of a low-income family. Her husband struggled to meet their basic demands. Yet, she passed SSC from Naihati Secondary Girls School, in 2018 with GPA-3.97 and was admitted to Khulna Government Pioneer Women's College.Later on, she conceived a child and continued her study with nursing her child. However, she could not fill the HSC form last year due to financial problems. This year she filled the form by taking a loan and successfully passed with a GPA of 4.33 in the Commerce Department.Morzina also struggled for everything now she has. She got married to Idris Hossain of Bagali village in Koyra upazila while she was in class 10. Though she got married at such an early age, she successfully passed Dakhil and Alim examination with good results. She is grateful to her husband and family members for their support.Not only Meem, Shamima and Morzina but many women who have struggled with the coastal adversity are continuing their studies successfully even after marriage.However, most of the meritorious students are not able to show their talents due to poverty.There are even many women who are compelled to shut their studies due to the lack of financial and familial support after getting married after passing SSC.
Read: Info Ministry announces national film awards 2020 winnersKoyra Upazila Women's Affairs Officer Reshma Akhter Rumi said, "All these indomitable women of our marginalized society are moving forward by taking care of their husbands, children and family by overcoming that obstacle like child marriage. Best wishes to all these unyielding women.""I pray for them and hope they will reach the pinnacle of success one day by the grace of Allah". They will enlighten not only themselves but also the whole family, society and even the world, she added. The Upazila Administration Office will always stay by their side, she added.Animesh Biswas, Upazila Nirbahi Officer (UNO) of Koyra said, "It is everyone's expectation that the women of the coastal villages should not lag behind and move forward on an equal footing with the men."However, "I urge everyone to be aware of this so that they do not fall prey to child marriage," he added.
Bangladesh Bank's role in steering economic recovery appreciated
Economists and business insiders said the stimulus loans for the big and small businesses have worked like oxygen to face a crisis during the pandemic period.
Former BB governor Dr. Salehuddin Ahmed told UNB that the central bank has done a tremendous job, emphasizing implementation of stimulus loans.
Despite some criticism of delayed disbursement, the BB’s contribution to economic recovery is appreciable, he said.
Read:BB asks banks to cut tax on service value of non-resident nationals
Md. Jashim Uddin, president of the Federation of Bangladesh Chamber of Commerce & Industry (FBCCI) and Faruque Hassan, president of Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGMEA) echoed similar sentiments.
They also acknowledged that the support of BB has worked to increase the confidence of businesses which helped them rebound in the production of the industries.
Latest update of stimulus loan disbursement shows that around Tk1.218 lakh crore (Tk1, 00,218 crore) has been disbursed so far in first and second phases from 10 incentive packages managed by Bangladesh Bank.
Of this, Tk 42,173 crore was disbursed to the industry and services sector, Tk 20,793 crore in cottage, small and medium enterprises, Tk 513 crore in refinancing loans in the pre-shipment sector, and Tk 2,492 crore disbursed among low-income professional farmers and small traders.
Besides, Tk 21,250 crore from the export development fund, Tk 1,933 crore from SME sector loan guarantee scheme, Tk 5,000 crore for workers in export-oriented industries, Tk 1,390 crore for consumer interest subsidy and Tk 4466 crore for agriculture sector refinancing scheme. has been distributed.
However, a fund of Tk 1,000 crore was set up for the salaries and allowances of the employees of hotels, motels and theme parks in the tourism sector but no loan was disbursed.
The BB started implementation of the second phase of 10 stimulus loan packages from July of current fiscal year 2021-22 through banks and FIs. The BB released an update of stimulus loan activities till January 11, recently. It said banks and financial institutions (FI) have disbursed Tk 15,000 crore among 67,000 entities in big and small categories across the country till January 11, 2022.
According to the BB, in the first phase, Tk 32,703 crore was disbursed from the announced incentive fund of Tk 40,000 crore for the industry and services sector. Some 3,306 units have received this loan. In the second phase Tk 9,470 crore has been distributed from this fund to 972 businesses.
Although the interest rate of this fund is 9 percent, the customers have to pay 4.5 percent while the government bears the rest.
Besides, Tk 5,407 crore has been disbursed in the second phase under the announced stimulus package for cottage, small and medium enterprises. Around 35,760 enterprises have received loans from this fund of Tk 20,000 crore. In the first phase, a loan of Tk 15,386 crore was given from this fund to 97,814 enterprises.
The interest rate on this loan is 9 percent, but here again the government is giving a 5 percent subsidy on the interest rate.
Read: BB asks banks to follow Covid guidelines till Feb 21
In the agriculture sector Tk 379 crore has been disbursed to 30238 farmers/ clients from the agriculture refinance funds in the second phase. In the first phase Tk 4295 crore was distributed to 1.85 lakh farmers and agro based industries.
The farmers and agro industries have received the loans at 4 percent interest rate and Bangladesh Bank has provided the refinance funds to the lender banks at 1.0 percent interest rate.
Bangladesh Bank officials said that there was not as much interest to receive stimulus loans in the second phase. Demand for stimulus loans was higher among the businesses in the first phase.
In fact, the time has now come for those who have taken loans to repay their loans, they told UNB. And this too is a sign of the recovery underway.
Jhikargachha flower growers pleased with business over Valentine's Day and Pahela Falgun
Godkhali flower market in Jhikargachha, Jessore, was buzzing ahead of Pahela Falgun, the first day of Spring, and Valentine's Day.The prices of all kinds of flowers went up ahead of these festivals.Flower grower Mahbubur Rahman said that each rose, depending on its quality, is being sold for Tk 15 to 20, which was only Tk 1 to 3 a month ago. Gerberas are being sold at Tk 8 to 12 while a thousand Marigolds are fetching up to Tk 700 which was earlier Tk 200-300 only.After two years of Covid-19, the flower market has been revived ahead of Valentine's Day and Pahela Falgun.
Also read: Godkhali flower traders fret over declining prices
It will help us to make up for the partial losses incurred in the last two years by selling flowers this year, Mahbubur added.
Govt plans annual rise in transport and communication spending to make it efficient: Document
The government plans to increase the budget in transport and communication sector by 14 per cent annually to make it cost effective and efficient to ensure socioeconomic progress of the country.
Total spending for this sector is projected at Taka 861.62 billion in FY2023-24 while Tk 787.76 billion in FY 2022-23 with Tk 720.28 billion in the current FY 2021-22.
The allocation to the sector in FY2018-19 was Tk 450.54 billion, in FY2019-20 Tk 537.43 billion and Tk 601.33 billion in FY2020-21.
According to a budgetary document, a well-organized transport and communication network ensures balanced production and distribution of raw materials and final products, preserves price stability and ensures rapid industrialisation.
Read: Initiatives to discipline capital's public transport underway amid new student protests
To achieve SDGs, government will continue to sustain and expand the on-going public investments in road, rail, bridge, shipping, civil aviation and telecommunication sectors in order to support a rapidly-growing economy, it said.
The Road Transport and Highways Division has taken initiative to implement important plans like construction of new roads, renovation of old roads, construction of flyovers/ overpasses, construction of bridges/culverts etc.
To modernize the road transport system, the Division is implementing initiatives to upgrade important highways of the country to 4 or more lanes. Meanwhile, 453 km of national highways have been upgraded to 4 lanes.
In the medium term, the document stated, plans have been made to upgrade all national highways to 4 lanes, and strengthen and widen other highways.
The priorities include the introduction of digital systems in traffic management and control, ensuring safe roads, and online tax and other fee collection.
The Bangladesh Road Transport Corporation Act 2020 has been enacted to increase road safety.
The priority list of the Bridges Division includes- construction of roads, bridges, and tunnels under rivers.
“One of the priorities of the Division is the timely completion of the country's Padma Multipurpose Bridge project.”
Built over 3 years ago a bridge in Kurigram remains unused for lack of approach roads
Villagers cheered when their long-cherished bridge at Sitaijhar in Sadar upazila of the district was built over three years ago.
But their joys soon proved short-lived.
The bridge, built at a cost of over Tk.31 lakh, was abandoned shortly after its construction for lack of approach roads on both sides, villagers complained.
Read: Thakurgaon people wait for bridge for years amid mounting sufferings
Hundreds of people in the three unions of Sadar upazila have expressed their dissatisfaction as there is no one to pay any heed to their problems.
Local administration constructed the bridge with the financial assistance of the Relief and Rehabilitation Centre over three years back.
Soon after the bridge came, floods washed away the approach roads on both sides of it.
During a recent visit to the bridge, this UNB Correspondent learned that the 18-feet long bridge was constructed in FY 2018-19 to ease road communication for the people three unions—Mogolbasha, Panchgacchi and Begumganj unions—in Sadar upazila.
But before the bridge could be opened to public use after construction in 2018 it became useless.
Why solar power investors are in no man's land
Land, capital and labour are key to any economic venture. But investors in Bangladesh's renewable energy sector claim that finding land for setting up a business is their biggest challenge.
This, they say, is gradually turning out to be a major hindrance to setting up green power projects in this country -- particularly at this juncture when the government is focussing on low-cost renewable energy in view of the country’s climate change commitments.
Investors say it's high time that the government leased out land in char (island) areas for a minimum of 25 years to private players waiting to employ capital for a green and clean Bangladesh.
This would also help Bangladesh meet its commitment to generate 25% of its total power from renewable sources by 2030 and 40% by 2050.
Sustainable and Renewable Energy Development Authority (Sreda) figures show that the government has undertaken a total of 47 grid-connected large solar power projects in the past 10 years. But so far, only seven of them have been implemented.
Sreda officials say that any solar power plant would require three times more land than the conventional power projects, "but undisputed land seems to be have become a scare resource in Bangladesh these days".
In the past few years, many local and foreign investors have expressed interest in setting up green power plants. "But even after getting an approval, several of them have not been able to acquire land for their dream projects," says an official.
According to former Sreda member Siddique Zobair, when an investor fails to acquire adequate land for a project, their financers also withdraw themselves from the scheme. "No agency wants to take the risk of financing a project having no land."
Scatec Solar, a European investor wanting to set up a 50 MW plant at Nilphamari, for instance, had to finally abandon a project, he says.
Dipal Chandra Barua, the president of the Bangladesh Solar and Renewable Energy Association (BSREA), concurs.
"it will be very easy to generate 5,000 MW of solar power if the government steps in to arrange land in the char areas on lease. It will reduce the cost of power generation from solar energy as well," he says.
Munawar Misbah Moin, president of the Solar Module Manufacturers Association of Bangladesh (SMMAB), says that leasing out land in char areas will definitely play a vital role in scaling up efforts for implementing solar power projects.
"Many countries, including neighbouring India, are now emphasising on renewable energy from a climate change perspective, which Bangladesh should follow by setting up more solar power plants that are very environment-friendly," he asserts.
Also read: Govt exploring rooftop, floating solar power for scarcity of lands: Nasrul
Bangladesh currently holds the presidency of the Climate Vulnerable Forum and gives the lead in the global campaign for promoting all efforts towards urgently reinforcing climate and economic resilience.
Omicron may leave behind high level of immunity in Bangladesh: Experts
The transmission of the highly contagious Omicron variant of coronavirus may subside at the end of this month, experts said, hoping that it may leave behind an extremely high level of immunity.
They also said the widespread Omicron infection may help Bangladesh and most countries in the world finally attain the much-talked-about herd immunity nearly two years into the Covid pandemic.
Talking to UNB, leading public health experts Dr Bijon Kumar Sil, Dr Be-Nazir Ahmed and Dr MH Chowdhury Lenin said the immunity gained through the Omicron infections may work as a shield against future same type of variants of the coronavirus for some time.
But they are not sure about how durable this immunity would be or how well it would work if a different type of Covid strain emerges in the days to come.
Also read: 80% Covid patients in Bangladesh of Delta variant: BSMMU survey
Blessing in disguise
Noted microbiologist Dr Bijon Kumar Sil, head of microbiology department at Gono University, said the antibody produced by Omicron can neutralise Delta and all other previous strains of Covid-19. “But the antibody created by the Delta variant can’t neutralise Omicron. “So, the Omicron is producing a very strong antibody which may resist the future variants of the virus, except any unusual one.
He said not only Bangladesh but also almost all countries in the world are going to attain natural herd immunity because of massive exposure to the omicron variant.
Dr Bijon said over 40 percent of people across the world had natural or artificial antibodies before the emergence of Omicron. “As Omicron has spread rapidly all over the world, hardly anyone will remain without a natural antibody with the ebbing of its wave. So, the new variant that may arrive in the future is unlikely to spread fast.”
"Most people in our country have already got infected by Omicron and the rest will also contract it in the days to come. So, we’re reaching towards the natural herd immunity against the virus. We could not do it by vaccines as we can’t vaccinate underage children,” the expert said.
He describes Omicron as a blessing in disguise as he thinks it may help get rid of the deadly coronavirus through the immunity the variant is leaving behind.
Dr Be-Nazir Ahmed, former director of Communicable Disease Control (CDC) at the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS), said the virus that spreads fast also ends quickly. “This is happening in the case of Omicron. If any unusual thing doesn’t happen, the community transmission of Omicron will stop by this month. It means we’ll achieve herd immunity by this time.”
Once herd immunity is attained, he said if a similar variant emerges in the future, it will not spread quickly. “But it’s difficult to say how long this antibody will work. It is also difficult to say no such variant will come that can dodge the antibody developed through the previous variants and the vaccines.”
Also read: 75% of target population fully vaccinated : Health Minister
A natural vaccine
Bijon Kumar Sil said there is vaccine inequality all over the world. “Many countries still couldn’t provide their majority population with vaccines. But Omicron is going to remove this inequality naturally.”
He said the antibody being developed among people through widespread infection is precious. “It’s a very strong immunity against any variant that may come in the future. It’ll work like vaccines and reduce the severity. It may not stop infection like the vaccines, but it’ll protect people by reducing the severity of illness.”
The experts also said though Omicron is a relatively weaker strain, it induces a powerful natural "herd immunity" similar to what a vaccine does.
He, however, said vaccination is still necessary to create a very strong resistance against Covid. “If people who have the natural antibodies are given vaccines, their immune system will be boosted to keep them protected from the virus for a longer period.”
From pandemic to endemic
Bijon Kumar Sil said the massive Omicron infections are signaling the beginning of Covid’s transition to become endemic.
“Omicron can hasten the transition from pandemic to endemic. It could end up being a seasonal variant. It means Covid won’t go away completely in near future, but the virus will keep circulating in some parts of the world on a small scale,” he said.
Dr Bijon said the Omicron wave will end across the world by September and Covid may be declared as endemic by some countries by next year if any unusual variant does not emerge that can dodge the existing antibodies.
He said most people, including babies, are also getting infected with Omicron. “But those who will be born after one or two months won’t have antibodies as the virus transmission will slow down. If these babies are not vaccinated, they’ll be vulnerable to the virus.”
Dr Be-Nazir said, “We can say if any different variant doesn’t emerge and the Omicron-induced antibodies work well, Covid will gradually weaken and become a seasonal virus.”
He also said Covid will continue to transmit sporadically in different places of the world at a different time like Influenza. “So, we can say Omicron may be the beginning of the end of the Covid pandemic, but we still remain cautious about it.”
Villagers suffer from waterlogging on the outskirts of Faridpur town
For over four years about 300 families have remained waterlogged in their own village due to dumping of sand extracted from Padma River.
The affected people at Aijuddin Matabbar Dagi village in Dicrirchar union on the outskirts of Faridpur town blame their miseries on some sand traders who dump their extracted sand blocking trapping rain and river water in their croplands.
On a recent visit to the area the UNB correspondent found that the problem was caused first by the water that comes along with the newly-mined sand. Over the years it got worse because of rain and flood waters, according to villagers.
READ: Chronic waterlogging adds to Bhabdaha's pain in winter
Many have erected small bamboo bridges to come out from their homes due to the stagnant water.
Local people alleged that there is no drainage system here as lands were occupied by the influential people and the local administration did not take any steps despite repeated complaints made to the local UP member and chairman.
Domestic airports are getting face-lift to offer quality services to passengers: CAAB
Civil Aviation Authority, Bangladesh (CAAB) has taken initiatives to modernise and expand all domestic airports of the country as well as the quality of passenger services.
According to the Civil Aviation Authority, measures have been taken to modernize and expand the domestic terminals of seven airports in the country.
Apart from three international airports- Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport, Dhaka, Shah Amanat International Airport, Chattogram and Osmani International Airport, Sylhet there are domestic airports in Cox's Bazar, Rajshahi, Saidpur, Nilphamari and Barisal.
Steps to modernise all domestic airports in phases
Asked about all initiatives, CAAB Chairman Air vice Marshal M Mofizur Rahman told UNB that work is underway to enhance the quality of passenger services at the seven domestic airports, including the domestic terminal at Shahjalal International Airport.
He said that the number of passengers on domestic flights has increased a lot in the country at present. Work on the landing terminal at Dhaka Airport has already started. "We hope that the expansion work will be completed soon. Everything else will be done quickly."
The chairman said there is a plan to expand the domestic terminal of Dhaka airport by the middle of this year.
The work on expanding the domestic terminal will be completed in Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport first.
READ: Parliamentary body visits Cox’s Bazar Airport project
A budget has been earmarked for phasing out the domestic terminal buildings of all other airports in the same manner. Permission has already been sought from the Ministry of Civil Aviation and Tourism. The internal terminal will be further modernized.
Besides, the work of transforming Cox's Bazar Airport into an International airport is going on and the domestic terminal will be more modernized there.
According to CAAB, the initiative has been taken to handle the increasing pressure of domestic passengers as well as to enhance the quality of services. A 8,000 sq ft floor is being constructed on the second floor of the old terminal building inside Dhaka airport. Half of that floor will have two international standard lines and the other half will have passenger seats and other facilities. There will be an air conditioning system with elevators.
READ: Dhaka airport's 3rd terminal to 'boost' trade
He further said modern scanning machines, security equipment, two international standard lounges, seating capacity of more than 300 passengers, smoking zone, diaper changing station and mothers' corner will be set up at the domestic terminal at Dhaka Airport.
Increasing pressure on domestic flights
In this regard, the State Minister for Civil Aviation and Tourism Md Mahbub Ali told UNB that steps have been taken to modernize and expand all domestic airports in the country further as per the directives of the prime minister to enhance the quality of passenger services at airports in line with various countries in the world.
He said, "Domestic flights within the country's existing passenger transport system have been increasing at a significant rate in the last few years. The people of the country are now much more economically advanced."
Foreigners, businesspeople, and tourists are traveling more on domestic flights to save time, so the number of passengers is increasing day by day. That is why the project has been taken with emphasis on all domestic airport works, he added.
He said the waiting time of passengers at the domestic terminal in Dhaka will be made comfortable with more facilities.
All the domestic airports in the country will be arranged properly. "We have taken the initiative to provide all the facilities of the international airport to be available in the domestic airports too," he added.
According to CAAB, the security arrangements at the internal terminal are being further updated. Internal terminals will be equipped with security equipment to prevent crime. Security will be further strengthened on all routes.
Services need to be enhanced both in airports and airlines
Biman Bangladesh Airlines, US-Bangla Airlines and NovoAir operate domestic flights. However, US-Bangla Airlines has the largest number of flights.
Kamrul Islam, General Manager (Public Relations) of US-Bangla Airlines, told UNB that the number of passengers on domestic flights has increased by almost 300 per cent in 7-8 years.
Passenger facilities have not increased accordingly and the quality of passenger service has remained the same, he said.
He said airlines should not just increase the quality of passenger service. The airport must also have quality of service. In all, both airports and airlines must provide the same quality services to passengers.
He said passenger lounges have been set up in Dhaka, Cox's Bazar and Rajshahi. Similarly, the quality of passenger service needs to be enhanced with all facilities including passenger lounges at all other domestic airports.