Dhaka: The government of Kuwait will provide Tk 147 crore for the reconstruction of historic Andarkilla Shahi Jame Mosque Complex in Chittagong.

A consent letter of the Kuwait government signed by its Amir Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah was handed over to President Zillur Rahman at Bangabhaban on Wednesday.

Kuwait Ambassador to Bangladesh Ali Ahmad Ebraheem Al-Dafiri handed over the letter to the President.

The complex, an archeological symbol of Mughal period, will be rebuilt as a 20-storey tower with an eye-catching mosque in it. Once rebuilt, the mosque will accommodate around 15,000 devotees to offer prayers at a time.

Expressing his gratitude to the Amir for the generosity, Zillur Rahman said that the Kuwait government also helped Bangladesh build many mosques and religious establishments through grants in the past.

Earlier, State Minister for Religious Affairs Shahjahan Miah on behalf of President Zillur Rahman handed over a letter of request to the Amir of Kuwait to reconstruct the mosque.

The President also thanked the Amir for his consent to attend programme of 42nd Independence and National Day to be observed on March 26. “The people of the country are eagerly waiting for his (Amir) arrival,” President added.

During the meet, the president recalled the hospitality of the Kuwait government offered to him during the 1st Asia Cooperation Dialogue(ACD) held in Kuwait on October last year.

Secretaries to the President were present during the meeting.

Ends/AMA/21/02/13