PM will decide on hospital construction at CRB: JS committee chairman
Chairman of the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Railways Ministry, ABM Fazle Karim Chowdhury, today said the prime minister would make the final decision about construction of a hospital in Chattogram Railway Building (CRB) area.
"The construction of the hospital at CRB has been discussed at the 20th meeting of the Parliamentary Standing Committee on the Ministry of Railways held on May 10," he told The Daily Star.
For all latest news, follow The Daily Star's Google News channel. "The Director General (DG) of the ministry has raised the issue that the protest against the project by citizens is getting louder," he said, our Chattogram staff correspondent reports.
"We have discussed the possibility of constructing the hospital on the site of abandoned TB hospital at Kumira in Sitakunda as an alternative site. However, no proposal or decision was taken in this regard as the final decision will be made by the PM," he added.
In March 2020, Bangladesh Railway and United Enterprise and Company signed a public-private partnership (PPP) agreement on the construction of a 500-bed multi-specialised hospital and a 100-seat medical college in the CRB area.
Contacted, Kayes Khalil Khan, General Manager (GM) of United Enterprise and Company, said, "Railway has not informed us yet about it. We are in the process of constructing a hospital at the proposed site next to CRB. We will start construction soon at the designated place."
Meanwhile, the agreement prompted various social and environmental organisations to stage protests against the project.
The area's "Shirishtola" has become a centre for cultural activities. Apart from many cultural events, celebration of Pahela Baishakh is also held there.
The place also has historic importance. The present CRB was built by the British as the headquarters of Bengal and Assam Railway in then undivided India in 1895. The anti-British revolutionaries of Chattogram conducted drives in the area to collect funds.
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