Introduction
Bangladesh is the biggest delta of the world by the Bay of Bengal, where natural disasters of different dimensions strike every now and then. Lack of a permanent system to manage such disasters, which wreck hell almost every year, results in deaths to innumerable wretched people and livestock along with irreparable loss of properties and crops. Whether natural or unnatural, in all dismal situations, poor ill-fated people are the worst affected. Poverty makes life of the poor so miserable and vulnerable that they are incapable of coping with disasters on their own. Therefore, disaster management initiatives need to be associated with poverty alleviating programs. However, poverty is highly correlated with unemployment and hence, employment generation is needed to make poverty alleviation attempts successful. Moreover, various energy crises impede overall development planning. Thus we need a comprehensive development model, which will not only generate sustainable protective or preventive mechanisms for disaster management but also will provide permanent solution to the problem of poverty. The pivot of such development initiatives should be the rural economy.
A Union-based comprehensive development plan has been proposed in this article, which could be implemented to solve various national problems including poverty, disasters, unemployment and fuel & energy crisis and so on. Rural economy-based activities suggested in this model may be carried out by taking into account the existing Union Council as the administrative and managerial unit. Current activities of the Union Council may be thoroughly restructured in that direction.

Natural Disasters in Bangladesh: A Formidable Future
Scientists fear that the devastation and wreckage caused by natural disasters will increase manifold in future. Eminent climatologist and Professor of Toronto University Dr. Monirul Quader Mirza has remarked that currently the poor are affected the most by various natural calamities in Bangladesh. But in future, people from all strata will suffer from devastating forms of natural disasters. Analyzing the model of the former Chairman of SPARRSO Dr. Anwar Ali, Dr. Mirza has pointed out that an increase in the sea-level temperature by 2 degree centigrade in future will result in a rise of the height of tidal bore by 21 to 47 percent. As a result, intensity of cyclone and tidal bore in Bangladesh will heavily augment and so will the loss of human lives for such natural calamities. According to him, Bangladesh remains at the top with regards to the loss of human lives in natural disasters. In 2007, though only 1 percent of cyclones of the world hit Bangladesh, it took toll of 53 percent of cyclone-hit deaths of human beings in the world. Here lies the solid evidence of weakness of disaster management system in Bangladesh.
We are fortunate to receive forewarning from specialists like Dr. Monir and Dr. Anwar Ali, regarding the impending dangers of natural disasters. But at the same time, we feel helpless as our policy makers are reluctant to take dependable and workable plans for permanent solution to this problem. Each year, huge expenditures are incurred from the public exchequer to render relief and rehabilitation to the people affected by cyclone, tidal bore or flood.
We have learnt from the past experiences that politicians often shed crocodiles’ tears for the affected people during natural disasters and thereafter they do the politics of relief distribution ceremoniously before television and media for wide publicity. Such temporary relief measures cannot bring about permanent solution to problems arising out of natural disasters. Scars of natural disasters are temporarily lessened by relief, but poor people also become accustomed to begging for such aid. They do not feel encouraged to work even when they are offered productive jobs. Therefore, it is not enough to provide relief to the disaster-affected people, rather we should give them the opportunity to be self-reliant. We should not keep poor people permanently dependent on relief.

Lessons from Disaster Mgt. System of the Netherlands
All countries of the world face natural disasters of different forms. Nowadays developed nations are apt to take scientific and technological advantage to avert disastrous effects of nature. People of the Netherlands have made a glaring example of fighting against flood and cyclone and averting those by means of modern technology. A number of geographical features of the Netherlands are similar to those of Bangladesh. Many a times this country faced natural disasters like those of Bangladesh. But they did neither sit idle at the mercy of nature’s will nor submit to its order of time. They endeavored to face the challenge with determined courage and fortitude.
The Netherlands is a small country situated on the west of Europe having a land area of one-fourth of the total areas of Bangladesh. Though 60 percent land of this country remains below the sea level, it does not go deep under seawater. The Dutch have resisted nature’s fearsome claws and put it down to submission by dint of intelligence. In the past, this country used to face cyclones and floods causing damage and destruction including huge loss of lives. In 1953, some 1853 Dutch died in a terrible cyclone and tidal bore in the Netherlands. Then the government of that country took up an epoch-making project called “Delta Works” at hand to protect the country from the havoc of flood and tidal bore. Under this project, they have built several large dams with special gates to prevent entry of seawater in the south-western region. These gates remain open during normal time but when the seawater in the form of tidal bore reaches the level of dams, all the gates there get closed mechanically. As a result, the land of the Netherlands is no more inundated by floodwaters. In 2002, I was fortunate to visit one such dam in the city of Rotterdam of the Netherlands and the intelligible art of construction of the dam made me spellbound. One can hardly believe unless s/he sees in his/her own eyes how man, by using the magical excellence of powerful intelligence, can resist the tremendous power of onrushing water of the oceanic tidal bore. It is worth mentioning that even before taking up such modern technology, the Dutch had already been using dykes and polders from the very early age to prevent entry of flood water inside the country. We can learn from their experience and practice.

In Quest of Solution to the Problems of Poverty, Natural Disaster& Energy Crisis in Bangladesh
Our poverty is much more man-made than natural. The lifestyle of the rich and various amenities they use for a comfortable modern life is in turn reinforcing natural disasters and increasing the sufferings of the poor. Rich countries and rich class of people are extensively responsible for polluting the environment. They use various containers, drink-cans and other poisonous products or materials, which is a major cause of environmental pollution and occurrence of natural disasters. Unfortunately, during any natural disaster, poor people are the worst sufferers, while the rich remain relatively safe. People living in thatched or tin-shed huts face irreparable loss during natural calamities. Those who live in buildings are not much affected. Their loss is negligible compared to the former. Such natural disasters do not at all affect those who live in multi-storied buildings. These people of higher echelon always stay beyond the touch of natural calamities. For this reason, permanent solution to all sorts of problems should be accompanied by various development programs for poverty eradication. The government should provide more economic and social facilities to the poor people so that they can be self-reliant.
In this article, a comprehensive development model has been proposed, which includes mechanisms for protection against inevitable natural disasters, saving the poor from aggravation of poverty, best use of scarce natural resources for economic development, providing solution to energy crisis and ensuring environmental protection. I firmly believe that my simple model may be of worth considering for implementation if we give importance to collective interests instead of personal ones.

Union-based Modern Development Model for Bangladesh
Before elaborating the proposed development model, we need to reveal some realities regarding availability of land in Bangladesh.
Bangladesh is a densely populated small country. After providing for housing, industry, service-centers, roads and other infrastructures, remaining arable land is very limited and is hardly capable of producing enough crops for the whole population. Moreover, in rural and sub-urban areas, people make unplanned housing. As traditional joint family system is being abolished by and large, several sons of the same father build separate homesteads of their own. Thus arable land is declining rapidly. In many villages, where one could find vast cropland 20/25 years back, there is hardly any open land at present; let alone crop land! Now huts or tin-shed houses fill in those croplands. No plan, no regulatory approval is required for building any new house in rural areas of our country. That is why people are making their homesteads according to their wish.

In developed countries, there is no scope for making houses in arable land at one’s sweet will; such land is allotted permanently for producing crops only. Construction of houses on that land is strictly restricted by regulations. As there is no such law in our country, our land-map is changing fast. A wealthy person can purchase any type of land of any size, whether arable or fallow, to use it for any purpose. As a result, we are losing thousands of acres of arable land. The country is losing agricultural productivity; environmental balance is being disturbed as well. The ponds adjacent to small homesteads are so small and shallow that fish farming is not possible there, and also no water remains there except rainy season. While newly built homesteads devour cropland, adjacent shadowy trees hinder growth of crops. For one bigha homestead, one and a half bigha land turns wasted. Rest of the land is demarcated by muddy lines and such innumerable land-dividers remain futile as wasteland. In this way, out of every 5 acre of cropland, approximately 1 acre is wasted as land-dividers and the two sides of land-dividers waste another acre. Accordingly, out of 5 acres of land, crop is being produced only on 3 acres. Thus arable land is decreasing by numerous land-dividers and new homesteads. The total land area of Bangladesh is 3.67 crore hectors of which 1.93 crore hectors, i.e. 53 percent remains arable. It appears that every year 82 thousand hectors of arable land decreases due to unplanned construction of houses, roads and highways, industries and factories. So 1 percent arable land decreases every year. If this trend continues, there will be no arable land in Bangladesh after 100 years.
As land fragmentation is a huge obstacle for scientific cultivation, we need to boost up constructive movements against this culture. Even we have to consider how this culture of land fragmentation severs our family ties and relations. The golden people of golden Bangla are being separated from each other as the rich tradition of joint family system is disappearing. The demarcation lines of croplands have extended up to our sweet homes in the form of increasing number of concrete walls. The culture of land fragmentation and micro family results in a colossal separation in our heart and soul from each other. This culture compels us to think that ‘I’ means ‘myself’ not ‘ourselves’ and there is no one or nothing important than me. Such notion makes the nation itself a weaker one.
Poor land management is a common feature of our coastal districts, which is a source of various national problems. Areas of these districts include chars (land raised from river), uncultivated fallow land, barren wasteland etc. Farmers of the coastal and marshy areas live a hard life as most of the lands there produces only one crop a year. People build unplanned houses in this area. Unplanned homesteads in chars create a lot of problems. People of those areas are unable to send their children to schools as those are far away from their homesteads. Health care, judicial and other governmental facilities are yet to be made available for them. Lacks in economic opportunities in these remote areas compel the inhabitants to migrate to big cities for earning their livelihood. These jobless people, having no other alternative, resort to all ugly anti-social activities like begging alms, hijacking, theft and robbery. Some of them become members of Aggan Party & Molom Party (hijackers who rob things by making people unconscious using poisonous food or balm) and engage themselves in various criminal activities. The government becomes perturbed to handle these anti-social elements. At the same time government needs to take extra measures to ensure security in the society, at the cost of huge public exchequer. It is clear that by keeping poverty alive, it would not be possible for the rich to live peacefully and comfortably.
In light of the realities mentioned above, we need to envisage how much cropland will remain after 25 years unless we restrict demarcation of croplands and unplanned construction of homesteads by initiating immediate remedial measures. Meanwhile, we have lost a great deal of time. Our population is increasing but our land is decreasing, which creates a pressure on food production capacity of the country. Therefore, to recourse the current trend of loss of land and to meet the vast demand for food, government should take various policy initiatives for preservation of arable land.
Under these circumstances, a Union-baseddevelopment infrastructures or Union Samitee (association) may be initiated according to the model proposed below. If this model could be implemented properly, the poverty of the rural people would be eradicated as well as natural disasters could be tackled at ease. In all, the country and the nation would be well developed. It is my firm conviction that the entire country, through balanced development, would prosper within a short period as a rich country.

Outline of the Union-based Development Model
At present, the base of the local government is the Union Council. An Upazilla (sub-district) is constituted by a number of Unions, while few Upazillas constitute a district. According to the proposed development model, a Union Samitee (association) will be formed in every Union. This Samitee, as the local government, will be the focal point of all activities in any Union. This will work through a Union Council different from the current form of Council (described in next section). The Union Samitee will also take help from Gram Samitee (village associations). In any village, 100 families may form a Gram Samitee, which will implement the decisions of a Union Samitee.
The land of each Union, more or less, would be divided into six parts. One-sixth portion of the land will remain as the residential area; one-sixth will be used for the local administration (Union Council, conciliation court, police, community police center), healthcare center, hospital, school, college, bazaar, park, play ground etc; one-sixth will remain for farm house (for breeding and rearing livestock, domestic animals, birds, fish etc.); and the remaining half of the total land will be used for production of crops. The cultivation will be done by a ‘collective farming system’ as this is the best method for utilizing modern technology. Besides, crops would be produced in accordance with the quality and type of soil. The area where production of crop is less feasible, necessary crops may be imported from the areas, where surplus is available. If the soil of a Union is not favorable for cultivation of crops, then that Union may be utilized for developing cottage industry and for production of non-agricultural commodities. Both agro-based industries and warehouses will be established within the vicinity of the croplands. The region where tomato is produced in abundance, tomato-juice-sauce- factory can be set up and where potato is produced in abundance, potato-based factory is to be set up. Similarly, factories are to be established for processing maize, wheat, sugarcane,mustard,groundnut, pineapple, water-melon, soybean, carrot, papaya, banana, lemon, bean, mushroom etc. Several livestock farms will also be established in every Union.
All buildings in a Union will be of six storied with shock resistance ability. But for their future extension, foundation of these buildings must be of 10/15 storied. The ground floor will be kept vacant and there will be two apartments in each of the remaining five floors. Three sides of each apartment will remain open. Thus 10 families will be able to live in every building. A Gram Samitee may be formed comprising around 100 families or inhabitants of 10 residential buildings. This Samitee will have an office, an auditorium or community center, a playground, a park, a prayer house, a super-store along with a pharmacy, one physician and two nurses and other materials as needed on emergency. For two or three such Gram Samitees or for 200 / 300 families, one primary school may be established. High schools and colleges should be established at the Union Center while university, technical college, and medical college should be set up at the Upazilla or District Headquarters. In each Union Center, there will be a market for commercial activities along with cyber café, call center, super shop and shopping mall.

The Salient Features of the Union Samitee
According to this development model, collective farming will be ensured. In that respect, ownership of the land can be preserved in two alternative ways. Firstly, no one will be the owner of land directly but the Union Samitee, as the local government, will be the owner. As per ownership of the land at present, landowners will be the shareholders of the Union Samitee.
Secondly, the title of the landownership will be retained with the landowners, but the land is to be leased out to the Samitee for 50 to 100 years and they will be the shareholders or bond owners. They will make sure or declare to this effect that none of them will take unilateral decision bypassing the Samitee. But in this resolution, facilities of the landowners will not be overlooked or ignored under any circumstance. The Union Samitee will consist of permanent inhabitants or voters of the respective Union. The more a person owns land at present, the more number of shares will be owned by that person. The shares will be given in terms of katha, decimal or any other unit of land measurement. A landless person will also be included as a member of the Samitee, who will have the right to vote but will not be a shareholder and will not get share dividends. As such, a landless person will be a service holder in the Samitee. They will earn their livelihood in exchange of their service or labor. However, the Union Samitee will have to ensure employment for unemployed persons according to their ability and quality. On the basis of recommendations of Gram Samitee or Sub-Samitee, the Union Samitee will make necessary arrangements for employment.

Shares of the Union Samitee will be exchangeable. If a landless person becomes a tax payer, able to pay taxes in full through honest earning, s/he will be able to buy a share from another shareholder and will be able to enjoy all rights and facilities of a shareholder. The landless people will be offered residential apartments with renewable lease for 25/50 years.
The residential area will be divided into three segments. One segment will be kept for shareholders and taxpayers, another for the landless and general people, and the other segment will remain for the alien people who are part of the administration but not members of the Samitee. For these three groups of people, three types of residential buildings or apartments are to be built. The Union Samitee may be formed like a commercial company. But its mission will be aimed at developing the Union by rendering equal service to all members of the Samitee. The success of the Samitee will be decided not by its ability to make profit but by its capacity to maximize social wealth.

The Structure of the Union Council
The Union Samitee or Union Government will consist of general members and shareholders. They will form the Union Council for their own interest by casting their votes. The Union Council may be formed by 21 or 31 or even by 51 members depending on the total number of members of the Union Samitee. In every village there may be a Gram Samitee, which will work under the supervision of the Union Council. A Gram Samitee may have 5 or 7 executive members elected/ selected from its members.
Under the Union Council, there will be a staff-board comprising officers and staffs to conduct day-to-day works of the Council. The Chief Executive of the board will be a person born and brought up in another region. Even at the initial stage, a qualified foreigner may be appointed in this position. In a Union Council, there will be several Sub-Councils for undertaking different activities. For instance, Agricultural Sub-Council will supervise agricultural activities and take necessary decisions. Similarly, there will be livestock farm Sub-Council, factory and market Sub-Council, health and education Sub-Council, social Sub-Council (concerning practice of religion and its facilities, old-home and conducting other service-oriented activities), conciliation court and security Sub-Council (for reconciliatory measures among the conflicting in habitants of the Union, enquiry of the conflict and taking remedial measures and formation of guards for internal security and its administration).
The general members of the society do not need to pay tax as they are landless, but they have to pay value added tax (VAT) for consuming goods. Moreover, service holders will pay tax on their taxable income. The shareholders will basically pay Union Tax beside small amount of tax for the district and central government. Transparency and accountability of development projects run by tax money will be ensured.

Socio-Economic Infrastructure in the Union-based Model
Roads and Highways:
In this model, there will not be any zigzag narrow road. Rather, straight inter-union roads will be built with 2/3 lanes. These roads will be linked with highways towards Upazillas and districts. These straight roads would be useful to carry excess crops, livestock and other essential products from Unions to district towns and divisional cities in a short span of time.
Health:
In each Union hospital, high standard health care facilities will be available for all. Besides, the health center of the Union Samitee will maintain a computerized record of health related information of each member of the Samitee. If needed, health history and other relevant information of any member may easily be obtained from the record. Every member will have a health card. Information on all medical treatments, medicines administered will be recorded in this card. If any person moves from one Union to the other, his/her health data will be transferred to the new Union. In each Union center arrangements will be made for park, playground, old-home along with many other facilities for the citizens.
Education:
Both general education at the school level and religious education will be compulsory in the Union. There will be freedom in college education and religious practice. Schools must be set up within the vicinity of the residential area so that guardians need not waste their time & money and worry about the security of their wards. No transport for the students of schools will be needed. The teachers of different locality will lead their students in groups on their way to school marching and singing the patriotic songs and the songs of life. Similarly, at the end of school-hours, the teachers will bring the students back home. The students will be imbued with patriotic zeal and thus learn discipline from their childhood. Such area-based schooling will solve many a national problems. It will save the fuel cost and also there will be no traffic congestion. It will automatically solve some economic problems too and build up a strong foundation of qualitative education that would be helpful to frame the structure of higher and pragmatic education.
On the strong foundation of the primary education, the structure of higher education will be built, in which only the meritorious students would be able to get in. This educated and trained meritorious people will lead the nation, administration, politics, education, research etc. One such meritorious genre can easily transform the society, country, even the world itself into a beautiful and peaceful human abode.
Employment:
Employment generation is a major concern to combat poverty. In Bangladesh, there is scarcity in employment opportunities in one hand, while on the other hand, sky-high price-hike of essential commodities puts extra pressure on poor people. Realization of the proposed model will create widespread employment opportunities in different agro-farms, factories, offices, educational institutions, hospital, business centers and security establishments of Union Samitee. Besides, in the Union center there will be cyber café and call- centers. In Unions with higher population density, higher number of computer centers and call centers will be established. These computer and call centers will provide large number of employment opportunities to the unemployed people. In this way, the unemployment problem will be reduced to a minimum and income of the Union Samitee will rise. Moreover, revenues to the government exchequer will increase.
In fact, influx of population becomes a problem only in countries, where policies are weak in developing a well -organized employment generation system. Whereas, the same population becomes the wealth of a nation provided there is ablest leadership, who knows how to employ them properly to that context. It is not impossible for a country having huge population to appear as a strong nation in the world. Large population indicates large market, large investment opportunities, large produce, large sale and large profit as well as strong power in the world dimension.
Justice:
Arbitration courts will be set up at the doorstep of people. Any complaint or conflict or a matter of arbitration will be submitted to the Gram-Samitee. If it is not solved there, the same will be sent to the arbitration and security sub- council of the Union Samitee. If the Union Samitee fails to dispose of the matter, the case may be forwarded to the Upazilla Court. Thus the case might follow suit to District Judges’ Court or High Court and up to the Supreme Court for disposal.

Afforestation & Ecological Balance
Fruit, medicine and forest trees will be planted by two sides of all roads and highways in a Union under the supervision of the Samitee. Trees will also be planted alongside the borders around the Union. Moreover, roofs of all buildings will be utilized as gardens of fruits and flowers in one hand and for establishing solar power plants (discussed below) on the other. In addition to scattered plantation of various trees, afforestation in 20 percent land of the Union will be ensured so that ecological balance is sustained and the country itself be economically benefited.

Protecting Unions from Flood & Cyclone
The residential and farming structure of this model will be planned in such a way that must not affect human lives and livestock during cyclone and tidal bore. Besides, strong walls should be constructed around the coastal Unions as an extra measure for resisting the onrushing tidal bore during the cyclones. There will be some sluice gates at different parts of the wall, which will control the entry of flood water and tidal bore. In this connection, the expertise and cooperation of the Netherlands can be utilized. Thus the proposed model is designed in such a way that people will remain free from the devastating effects of flood, cyclone and tidal bore as they will be living in buildings. As a result, there will be no fear of loss of life. The flood or tidal bore will not be able to get inside the Unions as all around the coastal Unions there will be well built walls having sluice gates. Hence, this model, if implemented properly, will bring about a revolutionary change in livelihood of the people of Bangladesh.

Permanent Solution to Energy Crisis
There is energy crisis all over the world. Both civil and military use of transports by land, water and air has been increasing by and large. On the other hand, the reserve of coal, gas, and petrol is dwindling to a great extent. The anxiety about future exhaustion of the reserve of these mineral resources crops up crisis among nations, leads to conflicts and war all over the world. Oil politics has compelled the world leaders to take frantic initiatives, as they are forcibly occupying oil rich countries one by one. The attempt of forcible occupation of other’s land could never bring peace. Rather initiators of such wars lose their own wealth as well as destroy wealth of the world. They create world crisis that increases prices of oil & Dollar and cause chaos and misery of general people. In the name of war, the demons with destructive weapon-power persecute and kill unarmed innocent people indiscriminately. At this backdrop, we should destroy the root of war. It is often observed that conflicts over energy cause many wars. Therefore, we should not let conflicts over energy reserves to continue, rather we should initiate more research for extracting nature’s boon to generate energy for our welfare.
Wind and water management plan in the proposed model will have mechanism for producing electricity and expediting agricultural production. For using the power of wind, we may follow the idea of ‘electricity farming’. The technology of producing electricity by winding turbines is quite an old idea, but we are yet to start it in Bangladesh. Following this technology, electricity is being produced from wind in many cities including the Rockport City of the USA. After meeting its demand, Rockport even supplies electricity to other cities. Though 75 turbines have been set up in Rockport, only 4 turbines are needed for meeting the electricity requirement of that city. Missouri government earns $1.1 million tax per year from this electricity generating project. Many a lands in char regions of Bangladesh remains idle year after year, where no crop is produced but strong wind blows over the area. In such lands, turbines may be set up to produce electricity. We may build lines of windmills in char and coastal areas. Moreover, windmills may be set up along with the borders of suitable Unions. Under the high pillars of windmills, different valuable trees can be planted. This will not only maintain the ecological balance, but will also increase the supply of valuable wood. This initiative will supply raw materials to our furniture industry, which may even be exported to earn foreign exchange. Moreover, the electricity produced by the windmills in the char and coastal regions, may be supplied to other regions after meeting the local demand. This electricity may be extensively used for both domestic and industrial purposes. Even electricity may be exported for earning foreign exchange. Our policy-maker should give immediate attention to the issue.
In addition to electricity generation by water power, use of solar power for generating electricity is also becoming popular. Solar energy may be used as a substitute of oil, though further research is needed for achieving efficiency in use of this energy. Therefore, establishment of a solar power center is adopted in the proposed development model. According to this model, all residential buildings in a Union will be of equal height so that solar power plants can be set up on the roofs of those buildings.These solar power plants will supply electricity for residential, agricultural and industrial uses. Recently a firm in Denmark has invented a 35-feet long speedboat that is run by solar energy. In this way, wide scale use of solar energy and developing concentrated solar energy system can lessen the madness of the world leaders to get hold of sources of energy.
Electricity may also be generated by establishing bio-gas plants. Bio-gas can be produced from the excrement of human beings, birds and animals. In the proposed development model, bio-gas plants will be established in livestock farms. This bio-gas plants may be connected with the toilets of the residential area. These plants would be helpful for both electricity and fuel generation. Even in Bangladesh a successful biogas plant has been developed at the Muslim Mission in Faridpur, which produces electricity from human excreta and cow-dung. This plant is helping the organisation to meet demand for electricity and energy from its own source. Thus, electricity generated from wind, solar energy, bio-gas and hydro- power not only will run the tube-lights, fan or machines of factories, but will aslo run the wheels of our national economy. As our coal and natural gas resources are being depleted fast, we need to act now to ensure energy supply in the long run. We should opt for alternative sources of energy, as has been proposed in this development model.

Towards Implementation of the Model
To implement the above-mentioned model, government initiatives and management are needed. Primarily, two least populated Unions of the coastal districts or four Unions in four different parts of the country can be selected for experimental implementation of this model. If such experimental implementation of the model faces objections from the concerned landowners, the implementation can be shifted to vast chars of coastal areas. This model may be implemented immediately in the 60 square kilometer rising new land between the estuary of the river Meghna and the Bay of Bengal, between Noakhali and Chittagong areas. Within the next 20 years further 600 square kilometer land is expected to be added in the coastal areas of Bangladesh, which may be utilized for implementation of this model. Illegal occupiers have already constructed buildings and other establishments in the vast land of new chars in the border of Noakhali district called Char Ziauddin, Char Clark and Char Bata. They have also established several fish farms. Still there is vacant land remained fallow and useless in those chars. Now this desolate barren chars can be of great use to implement the aforementioned model at the earliest. By proper utilization of this land, the economic condition of Bangladesh will improve to a great extent. This vast rising land on river and sea-bed may work as the economic hinterland of Bangladesh. The sooner the policy-makers of Bangladesh realize this, the brighter would be the development prospect of the country.
On the very success of the experimental implementation of this model in char areas, the people will spontaneously be inspired and eager to come forward to replicate this welfare-oriented model in other parts of the country. At that stage, it will become easier to implement this model first in the Unions of the coastal regions and gradually in the whole country. As the philosophy of the model will spread fast, its implementation will be easier. However, the sooner the model is implemented in the coastal regions, the easier will be disaster management in those areas and the people living there will be benefited for they will be protected from cyclones and tidal bore.

Goals to be Achieved by the Model
1. Rural development, alleviation of poverty, reduction of class-discrimi nation etc.
2. Protection of people, livestock and wealth from natural disasters, maintaining ecological balance.
3. Education and healthcare for all.
4. Attaining permanent self-sufficiency in production of gas, electricity & fuel, and ability to export those.
5. Use of vast chars rising from sea and riverbed as the hinterland of abounding economic activities.
6. Abolition of demarcation lines of agricultural land, reclamation of fragmented land, preservation of land map, extension of agricultural land, manifold increase of

agricultural production by means of scientific and modern system of planned cultivation.
7. Equal and harmonious develop ment for the whole country, generating Union-based employment opportunities to reduce pressure of city-bound flow of people (because in this model every Union will be set up as a town).
8. Solution to unemployment problem, transforming the population into human resource, ensuring developed and modern life for all citizens including marginal inhabitants, creation of an active, smart and bright nation free from tension & frustration.
9. Establishment of social discipline, values, patriotism, justice and humanity through planned and scientific development; to achieve a knowledge-based just society and enlightened nation.
10. Changing Bangladesh into one of the richest countries of the world within 20 years.

For a Wealthy Bangladesh in 20 Years
Bangladesh possesses fertile land and temperate climate that is suitable for cultivation of a variety of seasonal crops and fruits. It is the demand of time to work out possible ways of widespread increase in agricultural production with a perfect planning. Nowadays scientific farming and cultivation is advisable. Modern method of cultivation will facilitate us to feed the nation by the output received from cultivating half of the arable land and the yield from livestock farms. Due to gross negligence and carelessness and usage of old unscientific method of farming, most of the agricultural land in Bangladesh does not bring forth the amount of crops as it were yielding earlier. So we have to put our best effort to increase the productivity of agricultural land by using modern scientific method. This, however, requires establishment of the proposed Union Samitees. In this respect, the more we lag behind the poorer we become. Not only for agriculture, but also for industrialization, land is an indispensable factor. The way our land is lost or wasted at present, both our agricultural development and potentiality of our industrialization will suffer in future. If the government is cooperative and bureaucratic complexities are lessened, the private sector will come forward to follow modern cultivation technology and increase agricultural productivity. For instance, a new type of guava, popularly called Kazi guava, which is abundantly available in Dhaka, was first initiated by a common person named Kazii Babu. This type of guava is now the income source of many people. It appears that government assistance instead of bureaucratic impediments can encourage the meritorious people of Bangladesh to work for making the nation a progressive and developed one.
To protect Bangladesh from devastating effects of future natural disasters, various donors including UNDP have expressed eagerness for providing assistance and as such they require permanent and durable project- pro-forma from the government of Bangladesh. To the best of my knowledge, Bangladesh Government does not have any coordinated proposal or planning, which encompasses solution to various national problems and ensures rural development.
Recent archaeological findings at the Wari-Bateshwar of Narsingdi district of Bangladesh have received much attention in home and abroad. This discovery has indicated a similarity between the civilization in this area and legendary Roman civilization. Such a finding is definitely a sign of our rich heritage. Even before the discovery of the Wari-Bateshwar archaeological findings, we have heard about the rich history of Bengal and Bengalis. However, we are wasting our present just by being proud of the wealthy history of our forefathers, while neglecting our duties for present development. In this way, we are ruining our future. Earlier many countries of the world were far behind Bangladesh in terms of economic development, but they have now become much more advanced than us. A huge gap prevails between the development status of those countries and that of Bangladesh. "Where had we been?", "Where we are?" and "Where are we going?" -these three questions have been discussed many a times. Now, therefore, it is more important to think about "Where to go?" and "How to go?" By keeping ourselves busy in proclaiming our past glory, we may arrive at a state where there will be no rice to eat, no gas to cook, no electricity to enlighten, no petrol in the oil pump, no crop in the field- thus it is barren everywhere. Hence we are to prepare ourselves at present for making our future a success.
In spite of being a toy of nature, we may use the power of mother-nature with our intelligence for the welfare of the mankind. As soon as the patriotic and meritorious sons and daughters of the soil get united, such a creative and welfare-oriented program can easily be accomplished. We may follow the examples of the East Asian Tigers like Malaysia, Indonesia, South Korea and Thailand those had been lagging behind us in wealth and prosperity only four decades back. Considering their present state of development, we can plan for implementing the proposed model in 20 years time. I firmly believe that within 20 years, implementation of this development model will turn Bangladesh into a modern Model-State in the world.

Patriotic Bengali-friends,
Wherever & however you are, come forward, be vocal to implement this model; be cooperative and supportive. Come forward to build a prosperous nation ever enlightened, ever bright and ever free from all sorts of backwardness and frustration. Let all good endeavors be a success.

Readers' Openion:
Your kind openion will highly be appreciated.
M Helal, Editor, The University Campus
e-mail: m7helal@yahoo.com
Tel: +88-02-9550055, 9560225
Fax: +88-02-7174270