Teesta master plan will be top priority if Jamaat voted to power: Shafiqur
Emphasising river-centric development, Shafiqur said there was no alternative to implementing the Teesta Mega Project to restore life and livelihoods in northern Bangladesh
Reviving rivers is the only sustainable way to remove deprivation and hardship in the country's northern region, Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami Ameer Shafiqur Rahman said today (23 January), pledging that the Teesta Mega Project would receive top priority if his party comes to power.
Addressing an election rally at the Public Library ground in Rangpur, he said, "The Teesta, Dharla, Brahmaputra and Karatoa are gifts from Allah. But for decades these rivers have been subjected to neglect and exploitation," he said.
"Although funds were allocated for river protection, the money was misused, leaving many rivers looking like vast deserts rather than flowing water bodies."
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Emphasising river-centric development, Shafiqur said there was no alternative to implementing the Teesta Mega Project to restore life and livelihoods in northern Bangladesh.
"If the rivers survive, the region will survive. Whether this pleases some or not is irrelevant," he added.
He noted that implementation of the Teesta Mega Project would open multiple avenues of development, including the establishment of agro-based industries across the region.
"We will ensure fair prices for agricultural produce and transform northern Bangladesh into the capital of an agricultural revolution," he said.
The Jamaat ameer further said modern technology would be used to modernise agriculture so that young people would no longer need to migrate to Dhaka in search of employment.
