Sylhet-Dhaka six-lane highway to be fully ready by mid 2029: Commerce Minister

The Sylhet-Dhaka highway will be fully ready for traffic after being upgraded to six lanes by mid-2029, Commerce Minister Khandakar Abdul Muktadir said on Saturday.

He also announced plans to establish an artificial intelligence (AI) training centre in Sylhet to help young people develop skills for the information technology sector.

The minister made the remarks as the chief guest at the inauguration ceremony of the Metropolitan Business Association at a convention hall in Sylhet city.

He said work on upgrading the Sylhet-Dhaka highway to six lanes is progressing as part of ongoing initiatives to improve the country's communication network.

Once implemented, the project will improve connectivity between Sylhet and other parts of the country and help expand investment and trade, he said.

The minister said he had discussed establishing an AI training centre in Sylhet with the ICT minister and that a final decision would be taken after bringing the minister to Sylhet next week or the following week.

He said the initiative was aimed at equipping young people with skills in the information technology sector.

“Many young people in the country are earning through freelancing. If opportunities are created for young people in Sylhet to join this sector through training, they will be able to work with different organisations at home and abroad,” he said.

Muktadir said improving connectivity, information technology and law and order was essential to increasing investment in Sylhet.

There is no alternative to infrastructure development and creating skilled human resources for the overall development of a region, he said.

On law and order, the minister said the presence of drugs or juvenile gangs in an area negatively affects investment.

He said importance was being given to strengthening technology-based surveillance to ensure security.

The minister also announced an initiative to bring Sylhet city under advanced CCTV surveillance.

He said the cameras would be capable of facial recognition and effective surveillance at night.

Leaders and businessmen of the Metropolitan Business Association attended the programme.