Local Government, Rural Development and Cooperatives Minister Md. Tajul Islam said that we have enjoyed the benefits of Digital Bangladesh during the pandemic. The minister advised to develop the necessary infrastructure to provide complete civic facilities to a large population like Bangladesh.
He said that to transform Dhaka city into a smart city, big roads, playgrounds and a quality primary school in every neighborhood are needed. At the same time there is no alternative to make the new generation technology friendly.
The minister said these things at the seminar entitled “Bangladesh on the Highway of Technology in Building Smart City” on Saturday, the last day of the Digital Bangladesh Fair.
In the opening speech of the seminar, Minister of Posts and Telecommunications, Mustafa Jabbar said, Digital Bangladesh Fair is an exceptional fair. It is a place of learning or acquiring knowledge. Many people from children to old people participated in this fair and gained new experiences.
Narayanganj City Corporation Mayor Selina Hayat Ivy was present as special guest today. She criticized the lack of coordination of the departments in the implementation of the projects. She called for further planning by identifying the obstacles to transform a densely populated city and a municipality into a smart city.
ICT and telecom sector analyst TIM Nurul Kabir was the moderator of the seminar.
BTRC Spectrum Division Commissioner Sheikh Riaz Ahmed said, due to the implementation of Digital Bangladesh, this country has got a digital government. People are connected with digital facilities.
He also said, “We are working to increase bandwidth through submarine cable. The keynote speaker Dr. BM Moinul Hossain said in his words, “Smart city, information and communication technology ICT, increases the ease of management and capacity; information exchange with the people and above all quality government services and citizen welfare are ensured.
Smart city technology can bring development in various areas through coordination between government and society. The purpose of all these is to improve the quality of life of the citizens. In the context of Bangladesh, the current picture is that 55 percent of people in the city do not have access to clean water, with 23,234 people living per square kilometer of Dhaka city. To facilitate so many people, there is no way without being smart.
BTRC Commissioner Sheikh Riaz Ahmed, Internet Service Providers Association of Bangladesh (ISPAB) President Imdadul Haque, AMTOB Secretary General Brigadier General SM Farhad Hossain (retd) and Summit Communications Limited MD and CEO Arif Al Islam were present as discussants.