Project involving Tk 140b taken to check river erosion: Anisul

GAIBANDHA, Oct 09 (BSS): Water Resources Minister Barrister Anisul Islam Mahmud said today the grand alliance government led by Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina took up a gigantic project involving TK 140 billion to protect areas from river erosion.

"Under the project, river training works will be done in the Jamuna side by side development works along the river bank using concrete cement blocks and geo-textile, sand bags to be executed", he said.

Mr Mahmud said this while addressing a public meeting at Balashighat under Kanchipara union of Fulchhari upazila in the district on Thursday morning as the chief guest. State Minister Mohammad Nazrul Islam was present as special guest.

Deputy speaker of the Parliament and local lawmaker Advocate Fazle Rabbi Miah received the guests at the Balashighat and moderated the function while president of local union Awami League Nizam Uddin Master presided.

An embankment from Bangabandhu Bridge in Sirajganj to Kaunia of Rangpur via Gaibandha and Kurigram districts would be built under the project to be supervised by the Bangladesh Water Development Board (BWDB) with the World Bank assistance, the minister said.

Apart from this, a double- lane would be built on the embankment to ease communication and hard material storages be set up alongside the embankment to supply stone and rock to the vulnerable points during emergency , he said.

River bank protection work would be launched immediately from Ghagot Mohna at Gidari under Sadar upazila under a project involving TK 3.2 billion, he added.

After assuming power in 2009, the government under the leadership of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has been working relentlessly to build Sonar Bangla as dreamt by Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, the minister added.