Saturday, May 11, 2019

The Asian Highway opening new doors of Industrialization in Sylhet


The Asian Highway will open new opportunities for the backwardness of industrialization in Sylhet division. If two roads ‘Sylhet – Tamabil’ and ‘Sutarkandi – Sylhet’ are connected with the Asian Highway, then there will be a revolutionary change in the economy and road connectivity in the area which will create opportunity for domestic and expatriate investment. The project to upgrade the Sylhet - Tamabil highway into six lanes to join the Asian Highway has already been taken. Besides, the Sutarkandi - Sylhet road has also been connected to the Asian Highway.

In order to upgrade the Sylhet-Tamabil existing road into a six lane highway (including two service lanes) to connect the Asian Highway, last year a project of BDT 3,885 crore 72 lac was approved in the Executive Committee of the National Economic Council (ECNEC). It has been taken as a 'land acquisition and utility transfer project' aimed at strengthening the Asian Highway network to speed up industrial and trade in the area.

As per the info from Roads and Highways Department's office the acquisition of the land is currently underway. As part of the Asian Highway, this road will be connected with Meghalaya state in India via Tamabil of Sylhet Sherpur starting from Kanchpur, Narshingdi. Apart from this road, the Shewla – Charkhai - Sylhet road is going to be connected with the Asian Highway. The highway will be entered by the Sutarkandi land port in India and the in Shewla of Beanibazar upazila of Sylhet. Then the road will come to Sylhet city Kinbridge via Golapgonj of Sylhet. From there, the Asian Highway will reach Kanchpur via Chandipul.



Since March, the feasibility study, technical and social studies of this highway have been started. Meanwhile, a technical group has completed survey of the existing regional road between Shewla - Sylhet. However, the map of this road may have some changes in the end. In order to avoid traffic congestion, the road cannot be connected to the existing Sylhet-Dhaka highway by going through the Parairchak bypass from Srirampur in South Surma.


The approximate length of this highway can be around 280 kilometers from Sylhet's Sheola to Narsingdi’s Kanchpur. Roads and Highways Department Sylhet executive engineer Ritesh Barua said that the supervision of Sheola – Sylhet – Kanchpur - Asian Highway Project is being supervised by Dhaka office. In order to implement the Highway, the survey is underway. The number of land acquisition, the number of owners of the acquired land, the number of deployments everything is monitoring proper ways. Survey activity is also underway to compensate the acquiring land.

After completion of these activities, the construction of the highway will start. However, before connecting Sylhet-Tamabil and Sylhet-Sheola road with the Asian Highway, work on Sylhet-Dhaka six lane highways has to be completed.

If two roads are connected with the Asian Highway, it will have a very positive impact on Sylhet's socioeconomic system. When combined with the Asian Highway, the market of Bangladeshi goods will expand further in seven states of India, situated near Sylhet border. If the road communication system is developed and simplified, more opportunities will be created for the export of goods in the states of India called 'Seven Sisters'.

Besides, businessmen also think that trade relations and communications with China, Bhutan, Nepal and Myanmar will be stronger. Merchants and Businessmen of Sylhet area think that it is known the Asian Highway can bring the most benefits of industrialization in Sylhet. As the road communication system is easy, the industries and factories in Sylhet can be developed to utilize the huge potential of exporting Bangladeshi products to India's Seven Sisters. Especially if the Sylhet Economic Zone, the Sreehatta Economic Zone and Sylhet-based Hi-Tech Park are implemented then more industries will be established here with local and foreign investments.

Using the Asian Highway, the products produced by these economic zones will be easy to export to other countries in Asia, apart from SAARC countries. In addition to increasing the export revenue, opportunities for employment of a large number of people will also be created.


If Sylhet is connected with Asian Highway, then road connectivity of Bangladesh with the different Asian countries will increase. Entrepreneurs are very much interested due to availability of raw materials, capital and investment in Sylhet, but for lagging communication they were not interested. But now, the situation is changing.

If you can get involved in the Asian Highway, there will be a huge potential for tourism industry as well as huge potential for tourism in the area. Besides, there is a possibility of getting a large number of patients and students from Seven Sisters of India, if we can build international standards medical centers and educational institutions in Sylhet.

Sylhet is one of the most backward areas of the country in industrialization. Several hundred thousand people in Sylhet are staying in different Western countries including Britain and the United States. But some of these wealthy expatriates did not come to invest in Sylhet, but for the sake of building a royal style house for them. The economy of Sylhet could not be created in the national economy due to the lack of proper investment environment.

Hopefully, the linking of two roads in Sylhet with the Asian Highway has created the possibility of bringing good news for the people living here. If this happens, the expatriates will be interested in investing in their root-related township. The Asian Highway will be the light of hope for a positive change in the economy of Sylhet or the country - this is the only expected.


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