<div style="text-align: justify; "><span style="font-size: 1rem;"><b>Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina today asked people to compare the development work done by other governments to that of the Awami League government.</b></span><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify; ">“I expect that people of the country would at least consider how much development was done by those in power for nearly 30 years (1975-1996 and 2001-2009) and what the Awami League governments did,” she said.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify; ">The premier was addressing the inaugural ceremony of 100 highways at her office in Dhaka.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Sheikh Hasina opened a record number of 100 highways to traffic in 50 districts through a virtual platform, within a month and a half after inaugurating 100 bridges in a single day.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">The new highways – which include national, regional and district highways – aim to ensure a safe and uninterrupted road network as well as help reduce road accidents and traveling time.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">The Roads and Highways Department under the Road Transport and Highways Division constructed or reconstructed the highways with a combined length of 2,021.56 km under 48 projects at an overall cost of Tk 14,915 crore in the last two years.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">The PM said her government opened 100 highways in a single day and earlier opened 100 bridges in a single day too. “Could anyone do that in the past? No. It is only Awami League that can accomplish this,” she said.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">She said the 100 highways are gifts for the nation in this month of victory.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">“We are told that the Awami League government has destroyed the country… I don’t know if people would believe those who say that Awami League destroyed the country even after this (opening 100 highways and 100 bridges). That is my question,” she said.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">The new highways include 32 with a total length of 653.66 km in Dhaka division, 16 with total length of 352.26 km in Khulna division, 14 with 258.90 km in Chattogram division, 15 with 203.95 km in Rangpur, eight highways with 196.87 km in Rajshahi, six with 142.48 km in Mymensingh, four highways with 106.18 km in Sylhet and four highways with 107.26 km in Barishal division.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Of these, 99 highways were developed with government fund, while one — the 70km Joydebpur (Gazipur)-Alenga (Tangail) four-lane highway with service lanes on both sides — was constructed with foreign loans (Tk 3,205crore) and the government fund (Tk 2,963.64 crore).</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Road Transport and Bridges Minister Obaidul Quader spoke at the function moderated by PM’s Principal Secretary Tofazzel Hossain Miah.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Road Transport and Highways Division Secretary ABM Amin Ullah Nuri made a presentation on the 100 new highways.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">The local beneficiaries and stakeholders of the development projects were connected to the function from Tangail and Khulna through virtual platforms.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Out of the 22,476 km road network under the RHD, there are 3,991 km national highways, 4,897 km regional highways and 13,588 km district roads.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">The national highways connect the capital to divisional cities, sea ports, land ports and international highways. Regional highways connect district towns to river ports and land ports. District roads link district towns with upazilas or one upazila with another.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">On November 7, the PM inaugurated 100 newly constructed bridges with a total length of 5,494 meters, built at a cost of Tk 8,79.61 crore, in 25 districts of the country. UNB</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify; ">bnbd24/kh</div>