Prime Minister Tarique Rahman inaugurated a program to re-excavate 54 canals across the country simultaneously by digging canals in Kaharol Upazila of Dinajpur. He formally launched the program in Sahapara area of Balrampur Union of the upazila around 12:30 pm on Monday.
Earlier in the morning, the Prime Minister left for Saidpur on a domestic flight from Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport in Dhaka. After reaching Saidpur Airport, she went to the program venue by road.
The Prime Minister symbolically participated in the canal digging process with a spade in his hand at the inauguration ceremony. Local residents said that the area has been facing water shortages and limited irrigation facilities for a long time. They hope that the re-digging of the canal will bring positive changes in agricultural production and water-dependent livelihoods.
The Prime Minister addressed a gathering there after the inauguration. After the program, she is scheduled to visit Faridpur Cemetery in Dinajpur town. There, she will visit the graves of her close relatives—including her grandfather, the late Md. Iskander Majumdar, grandmother, the late Taiba Majumdar, and aunt, Khurshid Jahan Haque.
The canal-digging program in Bangladesh has a long history. The initiative was launched in 1977 by then President Ziaur Rahman with the aim of rural development and agricultural revival. Its main objective was to conserve excess water during the rainy season and ensure irrigation for agriculture during the dry season. At that time, about 3,636 miles of canals were dug across the country.