The Padma Multipurpose Bridge is a long-awaited dream of the citizens of Bangladesh. On June 25, 2022, Honorable Prime Minister of the Government of People’s Republic of Bangladesh, Sheikh Hasina inaugurated the Padma Bridge, embarking the country into a new era of self-sufficiency. In the international arena, it is a sign of bold proclamation and pride.
This bridge exists entirely for the service of general, and mainly for north and southern people of Bangladesh. However, the question that really arises is; “Is it truly serving its purposes? The question is “where they are living whose ancestral home, land, farms, etc. have to be handed over to the government for this Padma Bridge and how is the government assimilating them? In addition, is it truly serving the masses the way we all expect it to?
To answer such hundreds of questions on the minds of the Media and Mass Communication (MMC) students (budding journalists) of the American International University Bangladesh (AIUB) a study tour was arranged by Mr. Niaz Majumdar on Thursday, July 29, 2022. Students of Photojournalism and Introduction to Communication courses conducted a survey to find out the actual condition of rehabilitation centers for sufferers or marginalized groups at the resettlement area of Kumarabhog, Mawa.
The Kumarabhog rehabilitation site is a natural beauty with glimpses of greenery. All houses are wonderfully constructed (tradition and modern) and decorated. There is a beautiful mosque at the entrance, with ponds, and many small shops. The overall atmosphere is very calm and relaxing.
It was a part of students’ course fieldwork which turned out to be a unique one as identified from the responses of the people of that area. Students conducted a 3-hour long survey, and it was one of its very first kind to be conducted in that area.
At the end of the day, based on the responses of the local people, it was briefly summarized that 85% people showed positive response, 10% mixed feelings and 5% no annotations regarding their resettlement caused by the establishment of the Padma Multipurpose Bridge project.
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