Water Resources Minister Shahiduddin Chowdhury Anee on Friday said the Teesta Master Plan is expected to receive approval at the next meeting of the Executive Committee of the National Economic Council (ECNEC), with implementation work to begin after completion of assessments by an expert team.
“The Prime Minister has taken the project as a priority initiative. Therefore, residents along the Teesta basin have nothing to worry about anymore,” Annie meanwhile told reporters after visiting the Teesta Bridge area in Kaunia, Rangpur, on Friday evening.
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He said Prime Minister Tarique Rahman has undertaken a mega project centering on the Teesta River, which will be implemented in the shortest possible time through full domestic financing alongside local and foreign technical assistance.
According to the minister, the project will require an estimated Tk 13,000–14,000 crore and will be implemented under a special financing arrangement. He added that the Prime Minister is personally overseeing the overall progress of the initiative.
“If we can construct embankments in a planned manner and carry out systematic dredging, we will, Insha Allah, be able to protect the people of this region,” he said.
Annie described the Teesta Master Plan as an urgent necessity, saying the river’s challenges affect not only the people of Rangpur and Lalmonirhat but the entire country.
“Once the project becomes visible and is completed, whether it takes two to four years or even six to seven years, the benefits will be enjoyed by the people of this region and the national economy will be strengthened,” he said.
He added that the project would help develop agricultural infrastructure and agro-based economic zones, transforming the longstanding hardships of people in the five Teesta basin districts into prosperity.
He also said preliminary surveys and feasibility assessments have already been completed, while a nine-member team of expert engineers is currently working on the project design.
“The formal journey of the master plan will begin within the next one to two months,” he said.