Prime Minister Tarique Rahman on Saturday inaugurated the re-excavation of the Khordda Canal in Chandpur’s Shahrasti Upazila, marking the revival of a waterway first dug in 1978 by Shaheed President Ziaur Rahman.
The inauguration took place at Waruk Bazar area under Tamta Dakshin Union, where the Prime Minister arrived by road around 2:40pm. He formally unveiled a plaque marking the start of the canal restoration project before symbolically initiating the work by cutting soil with a spade. He also planted saplings along the canal bank as part of the programme.
The re-excavation initiative aims to restore the canal’s navigability and improve local water management and drainage conditions, officials said. The Khordda Canal had gradually lost its capacity over the decades due to siltation and neglect.
Several political leaders and local representatives attended the event, including Disaster Management and Relief Minister Asadul Habib Dulu, local MP Mominul Haque, Chandpur BNP General Secretary Advocate Salim Ullah Selim, and Shahrasti Upazila BNP President Ayat Ali Bhuiyan, along with Vice President Abu Yusuf Rupam.
The programme drew large crowds, with thousands of supporters lining both sides of the canal, welcoming the Prime Minister with slogans and applause as he arrived at the site.
After the formal inauguration, Tarique Rahman addressed supporters from a nearby stage erected beside the canal site.
Officials noted that the project holds symbolic significance as well, since the canal was originally excavated by Shaheed President Ziaur Rahman 48 years ago and is now being revived under his son’s leadership.
The Prime Minister is also scheduled to inaugurate another canal re-excavation project - ‘Bishwa Canal’ - later in the day near Ghosher Haat in Kumardugi Village of Shah Mahmudpur Union. The canal connects the Dakatia River to the southern boundary of Matlab via Ghosher Haat.
.jpg "Measles-related deaths surpass 600 in Bangladesh")
