PM Tarique launches canal dredging in 54 districts

Prime Minister Tarique Rahman is set to inaugurate a nationwide canal dredging program across 54 districts on Monday, marking a major initiative aimed at restoring waterways and reducing waterlogging in different parts of the country.

The program will be formally launched through the excavation of the Sahapara canal in Kaharol upazila of Dinajpur district. According to government officials, the initiative will be implemented in phases, beginning with the excavation of around 1,200 kilometers of rivers, canals and water bodies within the next six months.

Under a long-term plan, the government has set a target to dredge nearly 20,000 kilometers of rivers, canals and wetlands across Bangladesh over the next five years. Authorities believe the project will help improve agricultural irrigation, restore natural water flow and strengthen the rural environment.

As per the prime minister’s schedule, he will depart from Syedpur Airport for Dinajpur’s Kaharol upazila at around 10:15 am. At approximately 11:30 am, he will officially inaugurate the excavation work of the Sahapara canal, while similar activities will begin simultaneously at 53 other locations across the country.

Following the inauguration ceremony, the prime minister is expected to distribute goats among underprivileged families in the area as part of a social assistance program. He will also address a public gathering arranged there.

Later in the afternoon, Tarique Rahman will visit the Faridpur graveyard in Dinajpur town to offer prayers at the graves of his maternal grandparents and other relatives.

In the evening, he is scheduled to attend a civil society gathering at the Gor-e-Shahid Boro Maidan in Dinajpur city, where he will also take part in an iftar and prayer program.

The prime minister is expected to return to Dhaka at around 6:45 pm after concluding the day’s engagements.