Relief and Disaster Management Minister Asadul Habib Dulu has urged people to remain patient over the implementation of the Teesta Master Plan, saying the project’s main work will begin next year after necessary technical assessments are completed.
“We will not take any step that wastes public money or makes the project ineffective,” Dulu said on Saturday.
He was speaking to journalists after laying the foundation stone for a 104-metre bridge over the Saniyajan River in Kuchlibari of Patgram upazila, Lalmonirhat.
The bridge is being built at a cost of Tk23 crore.
Dulu said the Teesta is closely linked to the lives and livelihoods of people in the region, with nearly two crore people in Rangpur division having long been involved in movements demanding the river’s fair share of water.
He said the prime minister had pledged to implement the Teesta Master Plan on a priority basis if elected, and work was now progressing towards fulfilling that commitment.
The minister said a technical team was examining different ways to conserve water in the Teesta during the dry season.
The team has also proposed constructing another barrage downstream of the river, he said, adding that a special seminar on the proposal was held at Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology (BUET) on 18 July.
“The prime minister is very sincere and wants to complete the work as quickly as possible,” Dulu said.
“However, the Teesta Master Plan is a huge project. We will not rush into anything that could result in the wastage of public money. We need to wait until the technical team completes its assessments. Inshallah, visible work on the Teesta project will begin next year.”
Speaking about the country’s flood situation, Dulu said necessary relief supplies had already been distributed among people affected by floods in different parts of the country.
He said the relief operation would continue as needed.
The Local Government Engineering Department (LGED) is also repairing flood-damaged roads that fall under its jurisdiction, he added.
Earlier, the minister visited the ‘Soma Tea Stall’ in Hatibandha upazila. He later formally inaugurated the construction of a new four-storey building for Patgram Police Station.
