2024-02-15 21:12:07
Railway Minister Zillul Hakim said that the estimated loss of Bangladesh Railways due to election violence is over Tk 9 crore. In response to the question of government party member of Parliament Noor Uddin Chowdhury Nayan, Railpath said that on the eve of the 12th National Assembly elections, BNP, Jamaat and their allies set fire to the railway through arson. According to the preliminary information, the estimated financial loss of the railways is Tk 9 crore 28 lakh 56 thousand 304.
The Minister of Railways said these things in the question and answer session of the National Parliament on Thursday (February 15). Speaker Shireen Sharmin Chowdhury presided over the question and answer session at the beginning of the meeting.
In response to the question of government party member of parliament Morshed Alam, the railway minister said that 99 railway projects have been taken up since 2009. Construction of 947.99 km of new railway lines, 340.17 km of meter gauge railway lines converted to dual gauge, 1 thousand 391.32 km of railway lines rehabilitation/reconstruction, construction of 148 new station buildings, 238 station buildings rehabilitation/reconstruction, 1 thousand 62 new railway bridges. Construction, rehabilitation/reconstruction of 794 railway bridges and development and modernization of signaling system at 137 stations.
In response to the question of Independent Member of Parliament Muhammad Saiful Islam, Zillul Hakim said that the expenditure of railways in the last financial year 2022-23 was Tk 3007 crore. At that time, the revenue of the railway was 1 thousand 783 crores.
In response to the question of Government Party Member of Parliament Anwar Khan, Minister of Textiles and Jute Jahangir Kabir Nanak said that the annual demand of textiles in the local market is about 7 million meters. According to the demand, the whole is produced in the country. In terms of export of readymade garments, the demand for woven and denim fabrics is 8 billion meters. Of this, four billion meters are produced in the country. 4 billion meters are imported.
The minister said that out of 25 textile mills under the control of BTMC, 16 have been given in-principle approval for operation under Public Private Partnership (PPP). Of these, two contracts have been completed. Two contracts are in final stages. At present there are 900 private textile mills in the country.
In response to the question of Government Party Member of Parliament Nurunnabi Chowdhury, the minister said that about 50 lakh workers are working in the private textile sector in the country. 15 lakh weavers are engaged in the textile industry in the country. Out of this, about 9 lakh are employed directly and 6 lakh indirectly.