Law, Justice and Parliamentary Affairs Minister Md Asaduzzaman attended the programme as the chief  guest at the Birshrestha Hamidur Rahman Auditorium, Kushtia. Photo : BSS

ISLAMIC UNIVERSITY, Kushtia, April 24 (BSS) - A development conference titled 
"What kind of South-West region we want" was held at Islamic University (IU) 
in Kushtia on Friday, focusing on the future planning and development of the 
country's South-West region.

The programme was organised in the afternoon at the Birshrestha Hamidur 
Rahman Auditorium by Greater Kushtia Officers' Welfare Forum.

The event was chaired by president of the forum and senior secretary (PRL) 
Dr. K. M. Kabirul Islam while Law, Justice and Parliamentary Affairs Minister 
of the Government of Bangladesh Md Asaduzzaman, MP, attended as the chief 
guest. Meanwhile, IU Vice-Chancellor Professor Dr Nakib Muhammad Nasrullah 
was present as the guest of honour.

Members of parliament from Kushtia, Jhenaidah, Meherpur and Chuadanga 
districts, along with teachers, officials and students, also attended the 
programme.

Addressing the event, the law minister said development of Jhenaidah and 
Kushtia would contribute to the overall progress of the country.

He said initiatives would be taken to implement railway connectivity in the 
region and considerations were underway regarding the economic and industrial 
impacts of constructing a second Padma Bridge in the context of the Middle 
East situation.

He also said solar power-based projects would be introduced in unused lands 
across the districts to meet electricity demand and support an agricultural 
transformation in the region.

"Visible progress in these initiatives will be seen in Jhenaidah, Kushtia, 
Chuadanga and Meherpur within the next six months," he added.

The minister further said political differences may exist ideologically, but 
unity is essential when it comes to the development of the region.
"We want to move away from blame politics and work together for the welfare 
of the people of this region," he said.

The dialogue also discussed various measures to improve the standards of 
people living in the greater Kushtia region and to ensure sustainable 
economic growth.

Participants opined that such dialogues play an important role in bridging 
coordination between policymakers and local communities.