We too will go to the moon one day: PM
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina said that, Bangladesh will be a hub of international air transport in the future and Bangladesh will also go to the Moon by developing smart manpower. She made this comment during the partial inauguration of the newly constructed third terminal of Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport. The Prime Minister unveiled the plaque at the terminal's 'soft opening' ceremony in the third terminal area of Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport on Saturday (October 7) in the morning.
The Prime Minister said, due to the geographical location of Bangladesh, once, this Bangladesh will be a hub of international air transport; Cox's Bazar or our Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport will be hubs of international air transport. We believe so and that's how we want to make it.
In order to create skilled manpower, the government has established 'Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman Aviation and Aerospace University' at Lalmonirhat with emphasis on research as well as training in various developed countries of the world. She said, "We see our neighboring countries go to the moon. So why should we stay behind, we will also go to the moon. That is how we will build smart manpower in the future”.
Before this, the Chairman of Civil Aviation Authority Air Vice Marshal Md Mofidur Rahman briefed the Prime Minister on various issues including activities and management process at the third terminal of Shahjalal International Airport.
Minister of State for Civil Aviation and Tourism Mahbub Ali; Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of Japan Masahiro Komura; Secretary, Civil Aviation and Tourism Mokammel Hossain and Chairman of the Civil Aviation Authority of Bangladesh (CAAB) Air Vice Marshal M Mofidur Rahman spoke on the occasion.
Japan's Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism Minister Saito Tetsu was also present at the time.
Third terminal construction project sources said, the new terminal building will have 10 automatic passport control or e-gates at the exits. Where passengers can do immigration themselves. They no longer have to face immigration police. But if you don't want to do it yourself, 56 exit immigration counters will also be ready to assist you. The immigration police will do the immigration there. Apart from this, there will be 5 e-gates for passengers entering Bangladesh from other countries. There will also be 54 arrival immigration counters.
In 2017, the government took up the third terminal construction project of Shahjalal Airport. However, the construction work started on December 28, 2019. The cost of this has been estimated at about Tk. 21 thousand 398 crores. Out of this, Japanese cooperation agency JICA is giving Tk 16 thousand 141 crore as loan. Bangladesh government is giving the rest of the money. Japan's Mitsubishi and Fujita and South Korea's Samsung have built the third terminal of Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport on the model of Singapore's Changi Airport.
