Rooppur used to be a remote village under Ishwardi Upazila of Bangladesh’s Pabna district, nearly 200km away from the capital Dhaka. However, if one visits the place now, one could be forgiven for thinking that one had mistakenly wandered into Russia.
Most people walking on the roadsides are Russian or Belarusian. Shop signboards are also in Russian.
The dramatic transformation has taken place due to the construction of the 2400MW Rooppur Nuclear Power Plant (RNPP). The work on the factory seems to continue ceaselessly, and silence is a rarity.
Locals said there was only a barbed wire fence around the Natun Market area of Rooppur in 2015. Most of it was empty fields, with just a few temporary structures.
Now, the area seems like a modern Russian city.
Along with the change in the rural environment, interaction between Russians and Bangladeshis has created a friendly relationship. Not only Rooppur, but also neighboring Pakshi, Sahapur and Ishwardi have been transformed due to this social and cultural interchange.
RNPP is the largest mega project of the government, costing Tk1.13 lakh crore, and is being implemented on the bank of the Padma next to Hardinge Bridge and Lalon Shah Bridge. The project is expected to be fully implemented by 2025.
Socio-economic and cultural change
Shaukat Akbar, project director of the RNPP, said 25,000 domestic and foreign engineers and workers are currently working on the project. Among them, there are about 5000 officials and workers from Russia and Belarus.
Their presence has changed the social, cultural, and economic landscape of the region, he said.
Many Bangladeshi fruit and vegetable sellers have learned from Russian to buy and sell goods to Russian citizens. Businessmen open Russian product shops, restaurants are selling Russian food and there are salons, parlors and amusement centers.
On a recent visit to the Natun Bazar area, it was found that English, Bengali and Russian were all being used on signboards. One restaurant was named Russian Dine, Russian Fashion.
Russian consumers have the opportunity to taste dishes such as soup, salad, grilled items, naan and biryani at five expensive restaurants and cafes near the Green City area. Upazila Sadar also has modern restaurants aimed at Russians and Belarusians.
Several expensive clothing stores have been opened to meet the demand for clothing. Apart from the Green City area, several superstores have opened in Ishwardi Bazar.
In August, the domestic retail chain shop “Swapno” launched an outlet in the Natun Bazar area.
Ishaq Ali, mayor of Ishwardi Municipality, said: “There has been a great change in the socio-economic conditions of the area with the employment of thousands of people. Not only is the power plant project being implemented, but Bangabandhu’s dream is also being realized here. Rooppur’s name is now in international circles. It is as if Rooppur has become a village of Russia.”
Infrastructure development
The infrastructure and road network has significantly improved in the Rooppur area.
Due to the project, the roads in almost all areas of the upazila have been newly constructed. There has been a big change in the communication system.
Mayor Ishaq Ali said a 100-km paved road has been built in the upazila at a cost of about Tk200 crore. A new 26-km railway has been constructed in Ishwardi at a cost of Tk335 crore for transporting heavy items for the Rooppur project.
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