Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina yesterday urged engineers to concentrate more on research for innovating newer technologies so that Bangladesh can take proper development strategies suiting the local soil, water and climate.

"We want you to pay a greater attention to research in the engineering sector... we'll have to innovate newer technologies through research so that we can take development strategies that will suit our country's soil, people, climate and all otherthings," she said.

The prime minister said this while inaugurating a four-day 59th convention of the Institution of Engineers, Bangladesh (IEB) in the city's Ramna.

The theme of this year's convention is "Engineering Excellent: Earth to Space".

Hasina said today's world is dependent on technologies, and newer development strategies are being worked out.

She stressed the need for utilising the new strategies to take the countryforward.

Hasina also said local climate, geographical location, soil, water and people will have to be considered in case of taking development plans.

The PM asked engineers to work out strategies so that Bangladesh can achieve maximum progress at lower cost.

Chaired by IEB President Engineer Mohammad Abdus Sabur, the inaugural session was addressed, among others, by its General Secretary Engineer Khandaker Manjur Murshed, EIB's Dhaka Centre Chairman Waliullah Sikder and its Secretary Engineer Shahadat Hossain Shiplu Prince.

Seminars, memorial speeches, reception to martyred engineers' families, reception to foreign guests and cultural programmes will be held during the four-day event arranged by the EIB Dhaka Centre.

The IEB started its journey on May 7,1948.