PM to launchwill visit Jashore on April 27 to inaugurate the re-excavation of the historic Ulasi–Jadunathpur canal in Sharsha upazila and lay thhospital project in Jashoree foundation of a 500-bed medical college hospital.
The visit will mark his first trip to the district as Prime Minister following the 13th national election and his second visit in three months.
According to the schedule, he will arrive by air at around 10:00am and first inaugurate the canal re-excavation programme in Sharsha.
He will later lay the foundation stone of the hospital in Jashore town and address a rally at Eidgah Maidan before returning to Dhaka in the evening.
Jashore Zila Parishad Administrator and BNP General Secretary Delwar Hossain Khokon said preparatory meetings with district administration officials will be held on Saturday to ensure smooth arrangements.
State Minister for Power, Energy and Mineral Resources and Jashore-3 lawmaker Aninda Islam Amit is expected to attend the preparations.
The Ulasi–Jadunathpur canal carries historical significance, linked to a rural development initiative launched by Shaheed President Ziaur Rahman on November 1, 1976.
The programme, later known as the Ulasi Model, promoted self-reliance through voluntary labour.
Within six months, local people excavated around four kilometres of canal, easing water-logging across nearly 22,000 acres in Uttar Sharsha and enabling Boro cultivation through improved irrigation.
Eyewitnesses said Ziaur Rahman personally joined the work alongside residents, reinforcing grassroots participation.
Centenarian Abdul Barik Mondal from Ulasi village recalled that the President arrived by helicopter and took part in the excavation with his own hands.
Another resident Abu Bakkar Siddiqui said the President even wore a traditional ‘toka’ hat and worked with labourers in the field.
Over time, the canal has become silted and largely defunct due to neglect, while related structures have deteriorated.
The government has taken up the restoration following long-standing local demands.
State Minister Aninda Islam Amit said the visit would add momentum to development in Jashore, noting that both the canal project and the hospital were electoral commitments.
Water Development Board Jashore Executive Engineer Palash Kumar Banerjee said the proposal has been sent to the ministry for approval.
Once implemented, the project is expected to ease water-logging and restore the canal’s role as a natural fish resource.
Local residents said reviving the Ulasi Model could strengthen the rural economy and support food security.
