Malaysia offers to build low-cost housing buildings in Dhaka:Daily Sun

Former Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad pays a courtesy call on Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina at Hotel Grand Hyatt in Kuala Lumpur on Tuesday. PID photo KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia on Tuesday said they are ready to build multi-storey housing buildings at Kamrangirchar on the outskirts of the capital to facilitate housing for the low-income group people, reports UNB. Samy Vellu, currently holdin
g the ministerial rank as the Malaysian PM’s Special Envoy of Infrastructure to India and Southern Asia, said this during a meeting with Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina at her hotel suite here in the evening. Sheikh Hasina is now in Kuala Lumpur on a three-day official tour to deepen Bangladesh’s ties with Malaysia. The Malaysian PM’s Special Envoy also expressed the interest to implement a crude oil handling project at Single Point Mooring in Chittagong and sell 400 railway coaches to Bangladesh. Briefing reporters after the meeting, Foreign Secretary M Shahidul Haque said that the issues of investment in various sectors of Bangladesh came up for discussions at the meeting, especially in the country’s infrastructure sector, large-scale housing project, oil handling terminal and railway coaches. He said following a request from Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina for building multi-storey housing complex for the low-income people in Kamrangirchar, Samy Vellu said they would soon send a technical report to Bangladesh Prime Minister in this regard. The Foreign Secretary said the Malaysian government would finance the project and technical discussion to this end would start soon while the government is expecting to have the multi-storey buildings with affordable cost. He said that initially there would be 43 blocks for housing buildings for low-group people in Kamrangirchar. Foreign Minister AH Mahmood Ali, PMO Senior Secretary Md Abul Kalam Azad, PM’s Press Secretary AKM Shameem Chowdhuri were also present at the meeting. Earlier, a red carpet was rolled out as Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina arrived in Kuala Lumpur on a three-day official visit to Malaysia at the invitation of her Malaysian counterpart, aiming to further deepen bilateral ties. Malaysian Deputy Minister on Human Resources Haji Ismail Haji Abdul Muttalib and Bangladesh High Commissioner to Malaysia AKM Atiqur Rahman received Sheikh Hasina on her arrival at Kuala Lumpur International Airport 3:55pm (local time). She was given a static guard of honour by the Malaysian Armed Forces at the airport. Later, the Prime Minister was taken in a ceremonial motorcade to Hotel Grand Hyatt at Kuala Lumpur where she will be staying during the visit. A VVIP flight of Biman Bangladesh Airlines carrying the Prime Minister and her 30-member entourage left Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport around 10:15 am. During the visit, four deals and MoUs—Protocol Amending the MoU of 2012 between Malaysia and Bangladesh on the Employment of Workers, MoU between Bangladesh and Malaysia on Cooperation in the Field of Tourism, Agreement between Bangladesh and Malaysia on the Partial Abolition of Visa Requirements and MoU between Bangladesh and Malaysia on Cultural, Arts and Heritage Cooperation—are expected to be signed. The PM’s delegation members include Foreign Minister AH Mahmood Ali, Expatriates’ Welfare and Overseas Employment Minister Engineer Khandker Mosharraf Hossain, Civil Aviation and Tourism Minister Rashed Khan Menon, Cultural Affairs Minister Asaduzzaman Noor, State Minister for Home Asaduzzaman Khan and high government officials. In the evening, Bangladesh community members will meet Sheikh Hasina at the bilateral meeting room of her place of residence. On Wednesday at 10:30am, the PM will attend a dialogue on investment and trade opportunities in Bangladesh at Grand Hyatt Hotel and deliver a speech and exchange views with the participants. Hasina will later go to Malaysian Prime Minister’s Office at Perdana Square in Putrajaya at 3:00pm where she will be greeted by her Malaysian counterpart Mohd NajibTun Abdul Razak. She will attend the Official Welcoming Ceremony and be given guard of honour there. Hasina will then have a restricted meeting for some time with her Malaysian counterpart. Later, she will have an official bilateral meeting with the Malaysian Prime Minister at Perdana Meeting Room. In the evening, Sheikh Hasina will go to Seri Perdana—the official residence of the Malaysian Prime Minister—at Putrajaya to join a dinner to be hosted in honour of her by her Malaysian counterpart. Mahathir meets Hasina BSS adds: Malaysian car manufacturer “Proton” will open its plant in Bangladesh soon, creating employment opportunity for many Bangladeshis. Newly appointed chairman of Proton and former Malaysian prime minister, Mahathir Mohamad, said this at a meeting with Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Tuesday. The meeting was held at the PM’s suite at Hotel Grand Hyatt. PM’s Press Secretary AKM Shameem Chowdhury said Mahathir highly praised Bangladesh’s progress in all sectors under the dynamic leadership of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina. Sheikh Hasina focused on the achievements of Bangladesh in various sectors. She invited Mahathir to visit Bangladesh at his convenience.