Amid cheers from officials and employees, Huda said manpower would be recruited and all assistance provided to fully utilise the potential of the big and old workshop.

"Its past glory will be restored and if necessary, foreign experts will be engaged", he told a function marking inauguration of a luxury passenger carriage built at the workshop on Tuesday.

The minister inspected the newly constructed carriage and was visibly moved to see the success of Bangladeshi engineers at the workshop, so far regarded as a burden on the government.

The minister's declaration created great enthusiasm among officials and employees the workshop.

Local MP Amzad Hossen Sarkar, Railway General Manager Saifur Rahman, Chief Mechanical Engineer Abul Hossen, Chief Planning Officer Abdul Halim, Divisional Superintendent of the Khalilur Rahman were also present on the occasion.

Divisional Engineer Khalilur Rahman later told newsmen that Bangladeshi engineers are capable of building air-conditioned export quality passenger carriages at the workshop at lesser costs if it is modernised.

The carriage was built with only Tk. 81 lakh against its import cost of Tk 5 crore, he said.

It was built using the under-frame of a luggage van damaged in an accident.

The 22.2 metre long and 3.9 metre wide carriage fitted with roof-mounted air-conditioner and other modern facilities is comparable to imported ones, railway sources said. It was built in about three months.

They said two passenger carriages were built in a month at the workshop before the carriage construction unit was closed in 1991 for unknown reasons. Some sources claimed that it was closed to cripple the factory and encourage import. Since 1991, carriages were repaired and goods wagons constructed at the factory.