Disaster Management and Relief Minister Asadul Habib Dulu on Monday said the Teesta river, which was once like a mother to the people of northern Bangladesh, has now become a source of despair, leaving Rangpur almost like a barren land.

“Rangpur has now turned into a barren land. Rangpur is the granary of Bangladesh. Teesta was once like a mother. There were paddy-filled granaries, fish-filled ponds and cattle-filled cowsheds, and Bhawaiya songs were heard from the people,” he said.

Action to be taken over canal excavation irregularities: Relief Minister Dulu

“But when we see the despair of the people living along the Teesta, we, as elected representatives and politicians, want to address the issue. We want to free them from this despair as quickly as possible,” Dulu said.

He made the remarks while speaking as a special guest at a seminar titled ‘Sustainable Management of the Teesta River’, organised jointly by the Ministry of Water Resources and BUET’s Department of Water Resources Engineering at the BUET Academic Council Building on Monday morning.

Water Resources Minister Shahiduddin Chowdhury Anee attended the programme as the chief guest.

Dulu said Prime Minister Tarique Rahman had joined the ongoing movement for the Teesta project from London and had promised that if the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) received the people’s mandate, the Teesta project would be implemented on a priority basis.

“He has already sat with us several times and given us directions. We want to start the work within a short time,” Dulu said.

“As a person from the Teesta region, I would say that this should be made effective within a short time,” Dulu added.

He said he had visited his area as recently as Sunday and that whenever they went to the region, ordinary people repeatedly raised questions about the project.

“They do not know all these technical matters. They ask, why is it not happening, when will it happen, what day will it happen? The media also always asks us about these issues,” he said.

He explained that his role was particularly important from two perspectives, as someone from the Teesta region and as the minister responsible for disaster management.

“Whenever extensive areas are flooded due to excessive rainfall, we have to go there. Whenever people are affected by river erosion, we have to go there. That is why I think my role is somewhat greater from both sides, as a person from the Teesta region and because of disasters,” he said.

Dulu, who had been involved in the movement for the Teesta project for a long time, urged the present experts at the discussion to provide their opinions quickly so that an acceptable project could be formulated.

Referring to the “As a person from that region, and since I have been involved in the movement for a long time, I want you to give your opinions so that within a short time, through an acceptable project, you can eliminate the despair of the people living along the Teesta,” he said.