BNP Chairperson Tarique Rahman on Tuesday announced that if his party is elected to power in the upcoming national parliamentary election, it plans to excavate 20,000 kilometres of canals nationwide. He said the initiative would help tackle waterlogging and improve drainage systems, especially in urban areas.
Rahman made the remarks while speaking at a doa mahfil and views-exchange meeting organised by Banani Society at Chairmanbari Field in Banani, Dhaka, seeking prayers for the eternal peace of former Prime Minister Begum Khaleda Zia. His wife, Dr Zubaida Rahman, also attended the event.
Referring to the canal excavation programme initiated by the late President Ziaur Rahman, Tarique Rahman noted its past benefits and said that the closure and encroachment of canals in Dhaka and elsewhere have worsened waterlogging issues. “If BNP forms the government, we will restore existing canals and excavate new ones to ease local waterlogging,” he added.
