Monday | 13 January 2025 | Reg No- 06
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Monday | 13 January 2025 | Epaper

Chittagong Development Authority and an example of dynamic leadership

Published : Saturday, 8 September, 2018 at 12:00 AM  Count : 327
Mahbubar Rahman

Mahbubar Rahman

As was dubbed 'the mighty queen of the East', city of Chittagong beautifully nestles between the shore of roaring Bay of Bengal and sublime beauty of hills & hillocks standing in myriad tranquility stretching along with greenery abound. A 7th century Chinese traveler and poet Huen Tsang described Chittagong as a 'sleeping beauty emerging from mists and water' To add to this glorious attribute of ancient Chinese poet I must say, at the point, that Chittagong is like a precious pink pearl in the womb of golden oyster emerging from the waltzing waves of Bay of Bengal.

Long history of Chittagong reveals that having been attracted by its geo-physical charms and grandeur, scintillating location with gifts of nature; Arab and Portuguese travelers and traders came to Chittagong and established a sea port with a given name Porte-Grande along the shore of Bay of Bengal and the bank of river Karnaphuli, a gifted natural harbor in the region. During the rule of British Raj, centering on the economic and trading potentials of Chittagong port, Chittagong gained its due importance after Calcutta and became a commercial hub in the eastern region of the subcontinent. With the increase of population and other trading activities during Pakistani rule, Chittagong equally gained a phenomenal growth in its economic activities and became the gateway of the then East Pakistan over the years.

After the emergence of Bangladesh in 1971 at the cost of 3 million sons & daughters of the soil, with ravages of war and infrastructure totally shattered, under the charismatic leadership of the father of the nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, Bangladesh got a fresh breath and new lease of life with the spirit of independence and took to the road to progress with special attention and focus on Chittagong being the commercial hub and gateway of the country. With scanty and dilapidated infrastructure in post liberation war ravaged era, Chittagong city and the port urgently needed massive development and refurbishment in its existing infrastructure.

Although with the aims and objectives to ensure the planned and systematic growth of the city, Chittagong Development Authority (CDA) was established in 1959, no spectacular growths and developments were seen in pre-liberation era, other than few buildings, roads and alleys, when Chittagong city was just rising from the shadow of rural character and ambience to take the journey to the road to rapid urbanization. After the emergence of Bangladesh from the rubbles and ruins of war in 1971, like other towns in Bangladesh, City of Chittagong was also rising from the ravages of the war with the tumbledown infrastructure under the initiatives of CDA.

Being a statutory body of the government, as per normal practice and convention, CDA was always headed by either civil or military bureaucrats having either least or no direct liaison with the people and their demands of how the development of the city should take place where they live in. Such a usage and convention has been in practice for years since the CDA. It was established in 1959 until such time the honorable Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina felt by heart the necessity   of putting an organization like CDA under an able and dynamic leadership of a person who represents people in the grassroots levels and understand the pulse of the people in actually reading what the people of the city want the character and ambience of the city to be look like.

Accordingly, after an in-depth inquiry into the matter in searching the right man to take the helm of CDA in right earnest, prime minister Sheikh Hasina by breaking the age-old tradition where civil and military bureaucrats in most cases kept seated and cling on the neck of a public body for years like a dead albatross without delivering substantial goods and services what the public body actually demands in public interest; appointed MA Salam, a public figure as chairman CDA in 2010 to take the responsibility of how the city of Chittagong should march forward on the road to rapid development of building infrastructure of the city conducive to the requirement of rapid growth of population.

M A Salam with his impeccable honesty and integrity undertook all master projects like flyovers, bridges and expansions of existing rundown roads stretching as long as to cover the major areas of Chittagong city in order to free the city from the curse of age old chronic traffic hazards and congestions with maintaining strict administrative and financial discipline. Having successfully accomplished the mission of constructing a few massive flyovers, named MA Mannan flyover and Akhtaruzzaman Chowdhury flyover running in miles to cover the important area, in memory of two veterans public figure of Chittagong whose contribution in shaping Bangladesh under the captivating leadership of Bangabandhu was commendable; and expansions of existing road projects, equally running in miles with lot more to name.

 M A Salam with his hardworking team of engineers, officials and contractors has been now all set in his mission to complete more massive projects like constructing new dual carriages from Kuwaise to Oxygen Crossing and from Oxygen Crossing to Muradpur and few more roads construction projects like that of equal length and breadth. A colossal project directing to protect the city from disturbing inundation and water logging caused by incessant downpour and tidal surge is now underway. Side by side a massive work of constructing a long cherished elevated expressway from Lalkhan Bazar to Patenga is also now in planning stage and to add to the beauty of the area, develop world class tourist facilities at a spot with sprawling vegetation overlapping azure blue sea is also now underway which will visibly contribute greatly to turn Chittagong city as worth pleasant living for its people thereby doing full justice to its given attribute --- 'the mighty queen of the East'

A hard working man in his mid sixties with a supple physical stature bearing in inexhaustible stamina and vigor to take the brunt of heavy work-load even at his approaching twilight hour, M.A. Salam works day and night and regularly visits the work sites of ongoing projects with equal zeal and enthusiasm for speedy implementation to fulfill his commitment and responsibility that he has been duly entrusted with. With his hard work, tenacity and utmost dedication he has proved himself, over the years, equal to the task. His commitment to his duties and responsibilities has equally stood the test of time.

A self-made man, M.A. Salam went through all arduous tasks in shaping his life with hard work, diligence and perseverance. He has been successful in life through trials and tribulations that he has confronted in different twists & turns of life and did not have to look back. I wish M.A. Salam stay in good spirit and health.

The writer is a former Civil Servant


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