Labour migration to Malaysia to resume in Sept, 10000 to go free of charge

State Minister for Local Government Mir Shahe Alam has said that Malaysia will start recruiting 200,000 workers from Bangladesh towards the end of next month. They will be sent to Malaysia through listed companies.

In addition, another 10,000 workers will be sent completely free of cost. The process will be completed within the next six months.

Malaysia’s High Commissioner to Bangladesh, Mohammad Suhada bin Osman, met Local Government Minister Abdul Moyeen Khan at the secretariat on Sunday.

After the meeting, State Minister Mir Shahe Alam told journalists about the matter. The Ministry of Expatriates’ Welfare and Overseas Employment is overseeing these issues, he said adding the High Commissioner briefed them on the matters during the courtesy call.

The State Minister said the Malaysian High Commissioner had assured Bangladesh that Malaysia would provide technical assistance on polymer-modified bitumen, or rubberised bitumen.

It is generally used for road surfacing. Malaysia receives heavy rainfall, yet its surfaced roads do not damage easily because rubber is used in the road surfacing process.

Mir Shahe Alam said that in 2005, when current Prime Minister Tarique Rahman was the BNP’s Senior Joint Secretary General, the current secretary, Shahidul Hasan, was the chief engineer of the Local Government Engineering Department (LGED) in the Prime Minister’s electoral constituency in Bogura Sadar.

At that time, they imported polymer-modified bitumen, or rubberised bitumen, from Malaysia and piloted it on a two-kilometre road. That road remains in good condition.

He said the Bangladesh Government had already decided to gradually take initiatives to use rubberised bitumen on at least 20 per cent of roads so that they do not deteriorate because of rainfall during the monsoon.

If rubber is mixed with bitumen, Bangladesh’s roads will not deteriorate easily during the monsoon, following the Malaysian model.

With Malaysia’s technical assistance, Bangladesh will move forward with using rubberised bitumen for surfacing rural roads as part of future road repairs, maintenance and new road construction.

The State Minister said Malaysia would invest in electric vehicles (EVs) in Bangladesh. He added that Malaysia would also invest in solar panels, renewable electricity, halal food and various other sectors.

Preparations are under way for investments worth around US$2 billion in total. The High Commissioner informed them that these processes would begin very soon.

The state minister for Local Government said e-rickshaws would not be registered without certification from the automobile departments of BUET and government polytechnic institutes at district level, as well as a fitness certificate from the traffic department.

The policy will include this provision. City corporations and municipalities will issue the registrations. E-rickshaws will not be allowed to operate on main roads.

The state minister said the policy on e-rickshaws is at the final stage. It would be sent to the Ministry of Law for vetting.

Once it returns after vetting, the policy will be issued as soon as possible, within a week or the following week. He said issuing the policy in accordance with the law would bring e-rickshaws under a regulatory framework.

The authorities will gradually try to introduce solar-powered charging facilities at the points or garages where e-rickshaws recharge, and the use of such facilities will eventually become mandatory.

These charging points will also require licences from the respective city corporations or municipalities.

Mir Shahe Alam said e-rickshaws are currently being manufactured indiscriminately in different places.

“There is no record of who is manufacturing them or where they are being manufactured. These will be brought under a proper system.”

He said manufacturers producing e-rickshaws according to BUET-approved designs would also have to obtain licences from the respective city corporations or municipalities and operate as registered companies.

For Dhaka, the traffic department has submitted a proposal, which has already undergone review. The proposal is not entirely without merit.

Dhaka North and Dhaka South will be divided into four zones each, making eight zones in total.

These zones will be designated for approved and registered e-rickshaws. Each of the eight zones will have a separate colour.

Authorities will try to ensure that e-rickshaws operating in one zone cannot enter another zone. The city corporations and traffic department will jointly determine the routes on which they will operate.

In addition, e-rickshaws carrying four and six passengers will be registered to operate in rural areas and on rural roads in district towns.

In Dhaka city, however, only e-rickshaws carrying two and four passengers will receive registration. They must be manufactured according to designs certified by BUET and engineering universities.