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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