Water Resources Minister Shahid Uddin Chowdhury Annie has announced that the first-phase construction work of the Padma Barrage Project will be inaugurated in January or February next year, depending on the schedule provided by Prime Minister Tarique Rahman.
Speaking as the chief guest on Sunday (October 25) afternoon at a discussion meeting following an inspection of the Padma Barrage Project area in Satbaria, Sujanagar upazila of Pabna, the minister stated that once implemented, one-third of the population in the southwestern region—benefiting roughly 70 million people—will reap the rewards of this mastermind project.
Calling it a tough challenge and a mega project with an estimated first-phase cost of 35,000 crore Taka and a second-phase cost of 50,000 to 55,000 crore Taka, he noted that Prime Minister Tarique Rahman took the courageous initiative to approve the project in ECNEC just two and a half months after taking office.
The minister recalled that Begum Khaleda Zia originally initiated the project in 2004, adding that only an elected government can handle such massive challenges. The project aims to alleviate dry-season water scarcity, provide irrigation facilities, generate hydroelectricity, boost river navigation and fisheries, and enhance water supply to key regional installations. Project Director Hasan Mahmud noted that the barrage, planned to connect Sujanagar in Pabna with Rajbari district, will transform the outlook of 19 districts, improve living standards, generate electricity for about eight months annually, and benefit the Rooppur Nuclear Power Plant while keeping 78 gates open during the monsoon to ease water management.
State Minister for Water Resources Farhad Hossain Azad, local MPs Advocate Shamsur Rahman Shimul Biswas, A. K. M. Selim Reza Habib, and Advocate Arifa Sultana Ruma, along with the Deputy Commissioner and Superintendent of Police, were present at the meeting.
— Daily Best News Desk • Fearless in the search for truth
Reported by S. M. Raihan.Stuff Reporter.Pabna • Edited by the Daily Best News desk. Send corrections to [email protected].
