Prime Minister Tarique Rahman is scheduled to make a day-long visit to Feni on 1 October, his first official visit as the PM to his mother’s ancestral district.
He will attend several official engagements in Parshuram and Fulgazi upazilas. The visit also carries political and emotional significance, as former prime minister Khaleda Zia was elected to parliament multiple times from the Feni-1 constituency.
According to the schedule, Tarique will inaugurate the first phase of the ‘Rehabilitation of Muhuri-Kahua Flood Control, Drainage and Irrigation Project’ at the Ghatghar Muhuri Bridge area in Parshuram. The project was constructed at an estimated cost of Tk1,542 crore.
He will then join a tree-plantation programme at Khaleda Zia Women’s College in Fulgazi and inaugurate the supply of electricity to the national grid generated from rooftop solar panels installed at the Fulgazi Zila Parishad Dak Bungalow.
In the afternoon, he will attend a public gathering at Fulgazi Government Pilot High School ground to distribute Family Cards and Farmer Cards. Honourariums will also be distributed to staff of various religious places of worship, including mosque imams, muezzins and khadems.
Local residents and leaders have high expectations regarding flood mitigation, river erosion control and infrastructure development in health and education.
The northern upazilas of Fulgazi, Parshuram and Chhagalnaiya require urgent flood management, while river erosion remains a critical issue in the southern areas of the district.
Feni District BNP Member Secretary Alal Uddin Alal said the visit would play a pivotal role in fulfilling longstanding public demands, including the establishment of a medical college and a university in Feni.
Feni-1 MP Munshi Rafiqul Alam also highlighted the high expectations of local constituents. Some local party activists have expressed a desire to see Tarique contest from Feni-1 in the future.
The local administration and security forces have finalised a three-tier security plan for the visit.
Feni Deputy Commissioner Mohammad Mahbubul Karim and Superintendent of Police Pratyush Kumar Majumder said more than 2,000 police personnel would be deployed across Parshuram and Fulgazi.
Feni Additional Deputy Commissioner (General) Mohammad Al Amin Sarkar said the Special Security Force (SSF), Police, SRB, Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) and Coast Guard would share security duties.
The venues have been divided into three zones. The Red Zone for special security cardholders, the Yellow Zone for authorised cardholders and the White Zone for the general public.
Preparations are nearing completion. The Ghatghar venue on the bank of the Muhuri River is ready, while a temporary helipad has been built at Parshuram Pilot High School ground.
The Department of Public Health Engineering is providing safe drinking water tanks and portable sanitation facilities. The Roads and Highways Department has also repaired key roads, including the Feni-Parshuram main road and the Parshuram-Subar Bazar road.
Preparations at Fulgazi Government Pilot High School are also in their final stages.
