FROM SINGAPORE: Young Bangladeshi engineer Towfiqul Zakaria now working at Singapore shipyard passed in Electrical & Electronics engineering from Chittagong University of Engineering and Technology(CUET) in 2009.

After working in Bangladesh initially, he has been working now at ship building industry for the last two and half years.

After gathering experiences in ship building in Singapore, this young engineer confidently told that this type big industry like Singapore can be set up in Chittagong. There is enough land space in Chittagong unlike Singapore.

Zakaria hails from Halishahar of Chittagong. After passing from CUET he had worked for two years in Western Marine, a Bangladeshi shipbuilding company.

He was recruited by Singaporean shipbuilding company Jurong then he left Bangladesh for Singapore.

After coming over here, he changed his work place and joined Jaya ship building company as an electrical engineer.

While talking to Banglanews, Zakaria, having a professional visa, disclosed that this type of visa holders has dignified opportunities of work in Singapore.

He told that there are lots of diversification in work here with the scope of building own career. But the professional visa holders do not enjoy the facilities of education and medical treatment like the residence visa holders.

Regarding the condition of Singaporean shipyard, he said that here the situation is satisfactory with enough security. It is very neat and clean. The accident rate during work is almost zero.

Zakaria told that this country has many ethnic groups but without having any disparity. If you know your job then there is no problem of getting it. Evaluation depends on the efficiency.

Zakaria wants to work here for a longer time to learn. He disclosed that the most modern ships of the world are built here. He wants to work in this style after returning to his own country.

He told that there is no enough land space in Singapore still due to the patronization of the government this industry has become such big. In our country at Patenga or at shipyard we have enough land space that would help us to set up very big industry.

A confident Zakaria asserted that if opportunities are created in Bangladesh with the increase of experts we can divert the ship building orders to our country those are now coming to Singapore.

This young engineer said that now we simply break the old ships and manufacture some internal small ships. Skilled engineers and laborers are working there now they can build and repair big ocean going ships.

Regarding his home experiences, he said that in our country the laborers are not properly evaluated. Their salary is less than their labor. But it is an emerging industry.

Besides, he told about the unhygienic and unsafe working place of the country.

He got married with Nur Ishrat Jahan about two and half years back who was his class mate and girl friend. Nusrat studied at International Islamic University of Chittagong.

Nusrat has come to Singapore on last September 7 to meet her husband. Zakaria is now busy with the processing of long time visa of his wife. On Saturday afternoon, the couple came to Mostofa market for shopping. After introduction, we had talks at Navis restaurant.

There were some photo sessions of the couple in the restaurant using smart phone. Then at the request of Nusrat Bhavi I took snaps of the couple in a single frame.

Laughing Zakaria told that if you make it a news story then the photo of Nusrat should be must rather than mine. Please don’t forget to publish the photograph of my loving wife. 

BDST: 1205 HRS, OCT 12, 2014