Bangladesh, Turkey to set up joint drone factory: State minister

Highlights

•  Joint Bangladesh-Turkey drone factory planned in Bogura
•  Bogura airport being upgraded to international standards
•  Northern Air Force base approved for Bogura
•  Local government elections planned later this year
•  Sirajganj-Bogura rail link project moves forward

Bangladesh and Turkey plan to establish a joint venture drone manufacturing facility in Bogura, next to an airport being upgraded to international standards and the planned Bangladesh Air Force base, State Minister for Local Government Mir Shahe Alam said yesterday (9 July).

Speaking at the BSRF Dialogue, organised by the Bangladesh Secretariat Reporters Forum (BSRF) at the Secretariat's media centre, Shahe Alam said Prime Minister Tarique Rahman announced the project during a parliamentary question-and-answer session.

"Prime minister informed parliament that the drone manufacturing facility would be established in Bogura through a joint venture with Turkey," he said.

Mir Shahe Alam said Bogura Airport is being upgraded into an international-standard airport, while approval has already been granted for the Bangladesh Air Force's first air base in the northern region, reports BSS.

According to the state minister, new fighter jets inducted into the Bangladesh Air Force fleet will be stationed at the Bogura air base.

Shahe Alam said the government's development initiatives for Bogura would be implemented in line with nationwide development programmes under the prime minister's directives.

"Bogura's development programmes remained stalled for a long time due to political vendetta," he said.

Referring to what he described as the district's long-standing deprivation, the state minister said Bogura has an international-standard stadium, yet no international matches have been held there since 2006.

Responding to criticism over the naming of newly created Union Parishads, he said several unions were divided because of their large geographical size.

"We created four new unions. There were questions and criticisms over their names. Later, following the prime minister's instructions, arrangements were made to rename three of the unions in line with the wishes of local residents," he said.

Shahe Alam also said Bogura had suffered from inadequate investment in infrastructure for many years.

"The condition of roads, bridges and culverts is poor. The people of Bogura have long been deprived of employment opportunities, and even those who secured jobs were often denied better positions. As a minister, I have tried to bridge these development gaps," he said.

He added that legislation has been placed before parliament to transform Bogura University into a multidisciplinary institution to be renamed Bogura Science and Technology University.

The state minister also highlighted progress on the long-awaited Sirajganj-Bogura railway project, saying work had already begun on the 72-kilometre rail link.

"The development project proposal has been approved and land acquisition completed. This will save Tk122 crore as there will be no need to build a separate road," he said.

He noted that Bogura serves as a key transport hub for 11 districts, with both freight and passenger vehicles regularly passing through the district.

Reflecting on his political career, Shahe Alam said he entered national politics from the grassroots and urged people to judge his performance over time.

"If I am targeted from the very beginning, I will not be able to demonstrate the abilities Almighty Allah has given me," he said.

He also praised Local Government Adviser and BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir, saying major decisions in the ministry are taken through consultation.

On local government polls, the state minister said elections at all five tiers of local government would be held this year, adding that budgetary allocations had already been made and the Election Commission had begun preliminary preparations.