Communications Minister Nazmul Huda said the communications system is going through 'revolutionary changes'.

"We are exploring all possibilities of bringing new dimensions to the communications system and you will get the results after implementation of various development projects in the sector," he said.

The minister was speaking yesterday as chief guest at a working session of the National Policy Review Forum 2003, co-organised by the Centre for Policy Dialogue (CPD), The Daily Star and the Prothom Alo.

Huda said various proposals

including monorail and circular train services are being examined to improve the city's public transport system.

The government is also thinking of faster train service and a circular waterway around the capital for cheap transport of goods, he said.

About the sufferings due to the insufficient number of CNG (compressed natural gas) stations in the city, the minister said the problem would be over as more such stations would be installed by August this year. If the firms and individuals concerned fail to do this within this time limit, their security money of Tk 25 lakh each would be confiscated, he cautioned.

Huda said negotiations are

underway with the Thai government regarding speedy communications system in the capital.

Sounding a warning to private sector vehicle importers, he said, "We would not allow making the country a dumping ground of faulty vehicles."

The session was chaired by Waliul Islam of USAID. Dr. Rahmatullah, programme director of the CPD, presented the taskforce report on city governance. CPD Executive Director Dr. Debapriya Bhattacharya, Omar Hadi, Shamsher Ali, Mahmudur Rahman, Abdul Matlub Ahmed and Abdul Haque also spoke at the session, held at the CIRDAP auditorium.

The taskforce report suggested

establishing a national transport coordination council to plan and implement an integrated transport system in the country.

The council should be headed by the finance minister and involve other ministries concerned as members, it said.

The other speakers suggested decentralisation of the government's development efforts.

They stressed strengthening the Bangladesh Road Transport Authority (BRTA) for strong monitoring of faulty vehicles and controlling environment pollution. The railway network should be expanded, they felt.