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  • NOVEMBER 24, 2024

Seeking loan from China to implement Teesta Master Plan: PM 


  • National
  • Staff Correspondent
  • Published: 12 Jun 2024, 06:03 PM

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina said that the government is working to implement the Teesta Master Plan. In this context, in the 51st meeting of the Foreign Aid Inquiry Committee of the Economic Relations Department (ERD), a decision was taken to request the Chinese government to get soft loans for the implementation of the project.

He said these things in a question in the national parliament on Wednesday (June 12). Kurigram-2 Constituency Member of Parliament Md. Hamidul Haque Khandkar wants to know about the development of Teesta from the Prime Minister.

The Prime Minister assured the National Assembly that the government has taken initiatives to implement the Teesta Master Plan to ease the suffering of the people on the banks of the Teesta River in North Bengal. A PDPP worth around Tk 8,210 crore was awarded to the ERD in August 2020 after completing a survey with the financial support of the Chinese government for the implementation of the Teesta Master Plan. Apart from this, the Chinese government sent an evaluation report on PDPP to the ERD on March 5 last year. The report noted the lack of greater analysis and large-scale investment in large-scale land development and use and development of navigation systems.

The Prime Minister said that the Chinese government suggested a more detailed study for phase-wise implementation of the project. Power China authorities have sent a proposal to amend the feasibility study report to the Bangladesh Water Development Board on August 27 last year as per the instructions of the Chinese government. In this context, the following activities are being implemented.

In response to another question, the Prime Minister said that efforts are on to arrest 15 accused including Tariq Rahman, who was convicted in the August 21 grenade attack case. Maulana Tajuddin, the accused who fled abroad. Interpol red notice has been issued against Harish Chowdhury and Ratul Ahmed Babu alias Ratul Babu.

He said that two charge sheets were filed against a total of 52 accused after a long investigation in the case of Motijheel police station. Three of the 52 accused in the chargesheet were executed in other cases before the verdict was announced. The judge of Dhaka Speedy Trial Tribunal-1 announced the verdict on October 10, 2018. The trial resulted in 49 convictions, of which 19 were sentenced to death, 19 to life imprisonment and 11 to various terms of imprisonment. Out of 49 convicts, 34 have been arrested. The Prime Minister said that the government is trying to catch the rest.

Speaker presided over the question-answer session in the National Parliament. Shirin Sharmin Chowdhury.

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