Speakers at a sit-in programme organised by Rajshahi Raskyha Sangram Parishad, held in front of Water Development Board in Rajshahi on Tuesday morning, have demanded to implement North Rajshahi Irrigation Project immediately.
Before holding the sit-in programme, a procession bearing banner of RRSP paraded various streets of the city.
Speakers at the programme said, to save Rajshahi from the grip of flood and drought, works of 17-kilometre of Preservation of embankment from Bagha-Charghat via Rajshahi City Protection Embankment-T-groyen-police line to Godagari must be completed. They also demanded to declare Rajshahi as drought prone region.
Liakat Ali, President of RRSP presided over the programme. He said, people of Rajshahi were demanding to implement North Rajshahi Irrigation Project(NRIP) for a long time. Though the project is extremely beneficial for the farmers, the government remained reluctant to implement it . He aded, the Prime Minister herself has assured the people of Rajshahi to take measure to implement this vital project but her assurance has not yet been realised. He demanded to complete the works of river embankment protection during dry season, not during the monsoon or during the river water full to the brim.
Jamat Khan, General Secretary of RRSP said, with the implementation of NRIP, the use of surface water from the river will be ensured, dependency of subterranean water will be decreased, intensity of cropping pattern will be increased, soil condition will improved with the improvement of socio-economic and environmental condition of the drought and flood fit region of Rajshahi. But the government as well as Water Development Board was not paying attention to implement this vital project. He demanded to implement the project immediately, otherwise, he threatened to start a staunch movement to realise the demand.
He further said, the total area covered by NRIP is 178,200 hectares under which 133,700 hectares are arable land and 74,800 hectares are irrigable landmass. After implementation of the project, so huge amount of land will be brought under cultivation of crops which will also save the region from the adverse grip of climate change and the desertification.
The sit-in programme was addressed, among others, by Dr. Abdul Mannan, Freedom fighter, Debasish Pramanik Debu, Professor Lutfar Rahman, Advocate Entazul Haque Babu, Minhaj Uddin Mintu, Abu Taher Khokon, Abdul Matin, Abdus Salam, Alauddin Al Azad, Bazlur rahman, Alima Khatun, Dr. Selina Begum, Khaja Tarek, Anjuman Ara parvin Lipi, Ansar ali Babu, AKM Jubaed Hossain Zitu and Zahid Babu.
