Groundbreaking ceremony of Asian Women University Jan 13

Prime Minister Khaleda Zia is expected to attend the ceremony as chief guest.

"We have completed all preparations to hold the groundbreaking function of Asian Women University here," Deputy Commissioner Shafiqul Islam said.

The education minister and the education secretary arrived in the port city on Monday to review the preparatory measures taken for the groundbreaking ceremony as well as to visit the site of the university on their own.

They also held meeting with the officials of local administration in this regard.

The government allocated a land of 104 acres near Baizid Bostami Road for setting up the international standard university for Asian women.

Chittagong Development Authority (CDA) played the role for acquisition of land.

Earlier, the CDA planned to construct a road and an overbridge at the site.

The World Bank and Asian Development Bank (ADB) are supposed to provide the fund for establishing the university at an estimated cost of Tk 1,000 crore, official sources said.

The university to be built in a hill-bound scenic location of the port city, with a capacity of 2,000 students, will have the pattern like that of Thailand-based Asian Institute of Technology (AIT), sources added.

A team of US consultants is expected to arrive here soon for preparing the design and other architectural works.

The university might be commissioned after three years if the construction works could be started within one year, sources said.

The university to be fully with residential facilities, will allow the admission of 20 Bangladeshi students and the rest from other Asian countries and it will house departments of different subjects.

Chittagong will get more importance with the establishment of the university here.

Source said measures would be taken to ensure congenial academic atmosphere on the campus. The university will be free from politics.

"Foreign students may feel uncomfortable to come here if politics allowed inside the campus."

Chittagong was selected after survey in a number of places in Bangladesh.

Some quarters reportedly lobbied to set up it in Bogra, sources said.