Permissions from at least 17 different ministries and departments of the government were needed for a cruise ship to be able to travel to Bangladesh from Sri Lanka in 2017.

Travelling on part of the road stretching from Sonargaon Hotel intersection to Hatirjheel roundabout has become a nightmare for city residents in the last six months or so.

World Bank Senior Vice President and chief economist Dr Kaushik Basu says poor infrastructure and slow bureaucracy are two major challenges for Bangladesh’s economy, which is according to him, is standing at the ‘takeoff stage’.