PM Sheikh Hasina visits metro station

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina paid a visit to the metro station in Mirpur-10, a part of the capital affected by recent violence. 

Her visit took place on Thursday morning at around 9am.

She inspected various sections of the station, which had been severely damaged during the recent turmoil related to the student movement advocating for quota reform in public service.

Senior officials from the Dhaka Mass Transit Company Limited (DMTCL) briefed the Prime Minister on the extent of destruction and outlined the future plans for reopening the Mirpur-10 and Kazipara stations.

Metro rail services were suspended on July 18 due to protests by students demanding quota reform in public service.

The attacks, carried out by unidentified individuals on July 19 afternoon, resulted in extensive damage. 

CCTV cameras, LED monitors, ticket vending machines, and other valuable equipment were vandalized and looted during the incident.

Officials from DMTCL indicated that the timeline for reopening the stations would be announced once the inquiry committee, tasked with assessing the damages, submits its report within 10 working days. 

The committee, led by Additional Secretary Mohammad Zakaria, was formed on July 22 to evaluate the damage to the metro rail infrastructure and determine when it can resume operations.

The government had initially opened the metro station to the public on March 1, 2023, nearly two months after the official inauguration of the country‍‍`s long-awaited metro rail system.

The Mirpur-10 Metro station is part of the country‍‍`s first metro rail line, constructed in an elevated way. This ambitious project has an estimated budget exceeding TK33,000 crore (nearly 3 billion USD). 

Authorities from the Metro Rail have estimated that it could take up to a year to restore operational status to the damaged Mirpur-10 and Kazipara stations. 

The weeklong violence centering quota movement claimed at least 201 lives till July 24, according to media reports.