Time does not stand still, it flows like a river. Sometimes calm, sometimes turbulent. Another eventful year 2025 stands at the moment of farewell today, pulled by that current. Another year is being added to the pages of history, carrying development and instability, achievement and pain, light of hope and shadow of fear. And standing at that juncture, the port city of Chattogram is getting ready to welcome the new year 2026.
2025 was a year of questions and promises for Chattogram. Sometimes the shadow of teenage gangs in the alleys of the city, sometimes the bloody highways in the heat of elections. The city's residents have witnessed the harsh reality of violence. One after another murder, political instability and the buzz of the underworld have increased concerns about the city's security. Chittagong has repeatedly asked which path are we walking?
Yet this city has not stopped. Like the waves of Karnaphuli, Chattogram knows how to move forward. The announcement of $550 million in international investment in Chittagong Port in 2025 opened a window of future possibilities. Despite the heat of the movement over the port lease, slogans and demands on the streets, the port's container handling has increased - which indicates that the lifeblood of the country's economy is still active.
The people of this city suffered from a water crisis in 2025. The frustration of not getting water even after opening the WASA tap, a career stuck in long traffic jams, and dreams suddenly destroyed by a fire - all this put urban life to a severe test. Hill erosion and landslides have become the silent cry of nature, repeatedly reminding us that if we lose balance on the path of development, disaster is inevitable. The terrible fire in the Chittagong EPZ raised a black cloud of smoke in the sky of the industrial city. As the Indian visa process was suspended towards the end of the year, a shadow of uncertainty fell on the eyes of people, especially those seeking medical treatment. Yet life did not stop because Chattogram knows the language of survival even in the face of adversity.
Now, as the last sun of the year sets, Chattogram is looking ahead with bated breath. The port city is stepping into the new year 2026, taking with it the mistakes, failures, and experiences of the outgoing year. The expectation is one—this city will be safer, more humane, and better planned. Comfort will return to the streets, discipline will come to citizen services, and Chattogram , standing on the banks of the Karnaphuli, will once again be able to proudly say—I am a city of possibilities.
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