He left this earthly world 14 years back. Even so, Quamrul Islam Siddique, the ‘Planner’ of rural roads, comes in minds again and again. With the inauguration of the dream Metrorail, this talented engineer appeared again from behind the curtain.
The reason is, this was he, who prepared the Strategic Transport Plan (STP) for Dhaka for the first time with recommendations for the construction of metro rail. He was the Executive Director of STP created under Dhaka Transport Coordination Board (DTCB). This freedom fighter recommended the construction of three metro rails in Dhaka in the plan for the period of 2005 to 2025.
That is what a transport expert Dr. MM Salehuddin expressed to one of the country’s prominent daily, The Daily Bonik Barta. He was the Additional Executive Director of STP at that time. In his words, ‘Quamarul Islam Siddique Sir was one of the few people who played a strong role in including Mass Rapid Transit or MRT and Bus Rapid Transit or BRT for Dhaka in STP. He wanted such a public transport system for Dhaka, which can serve a large number of people at once.’
“Quamrul Islam sir was a very talented person. There is no comparison. All the time I worked in DTCB, I always found him active. He died in 2008 in the United States. He contacted me even a week before his death; he invited me to participate in a seminar in the United States. If his life was longer, he would have been able to play a greater role in the development of rural communication infrastructure as well as urban infrastructure”- added Dr. Salehuddin.
