Prime Minister Tarique Rahman has taken the initiative to launch a river dredging programme: State Minister Tuku

Photo: CNI

Gopalpur (Tangail) Correspondent: State Minister for Fisheries and Livestock and Member of Parliament for Tangail-5 (Sadar) constituency, Sultan Salahuddin Tuku, said that any irregularities committed in the past will certainly be investigated and necessary action will be taken.

He said the Jamuna is one of Bangladesh’s major rivers. Maintaining the river’s navigability is essential, as the loss of navigability can cause river erosion to shift in different directions. If the river maintains its natural course, erosion can be prevented. Therefore, to preserve the river’s navigability, Prime Minister Tarique Rahman has taken an initiative to launch a programme for dredging canals and rivers.

The State Minister made the remarks while inspecting erosion-affected areas along the Tangail-Bhuapur-Tarakanda regional district highway at Nalin in Bhuapur and Shakharia in Gopalpur at around 5:30 pm on Friday (July 24).

State Minister Tuku said that his elder brother, former Deputy Minister for Education and current Member of Parliament Abdus Salam Pintu, has been supervising the erosion-control efforts along the Bhuapur-Tarakanda regional road around the clock. He said erosion has already been brought under control through the dumping of geo-bags and tube geo-bags, with around 25,000 geo-bags placed so far. Work is also underway to construct an embankment.

He said an initiative has also been taken to construct a permanent embankment from Bhuapur through Tangail to Manikganj to prevent further erosion in the area.

Sultan Salahuddin Tuku said that the people of the country ousted the previous authoritarian government through a movement because of its alleged looting and corruption. Therefore, he said, the irregularities of the previous regime will certainly be investigated, and steps are being taken to develop a more planned and stronger embankment system in the future.

Among those present were Tangail-2 (Bhuapur-Gopalpur) MP Advocate Abdus Salam Pintu, Bhuapur Upazila Nirbahi Officer Md. Mahbub Hasan, Gopalpur Upazila Nirbahi Officer Md. Monzurul Morshed, Tangail Water Development Board Executive Engineer Md. Main Uddin, Additional Superintendent of Police (Gopalpur Circle) Fouzia Habib Khan, Bhuapur Police Station Officer-in-Charge (OC) AKM Rezaul Karim, Gopalpur Police Station OC Ruhul Amin, Gopalpur Upazila BNP President and former mayor Khandaker Jahangir Alam Rubel, Upazila BNP General Secretary Kazi Liaquat, and Municipal BNP President Khalid Hasan Uthan, among others.