SB-Sujon:
People throng Teestapar protest march at the beginning of the second day of the 48-hour protest march to protect the river under the slogan ‘Jago Bahe Teesta Bachai’.
The march started at 11 am on Tuesday (February 18) from Lalmonirhat Railway Bridge with the participation of thousands of people and ended at the railway bridge again.
The march, led by former Deputy Minister Asadul Habib Dulu, the chief coordinator of the river protection movement and organizing secretary of the BNP Central Executive Committee, covered a six-kilometer route. People of Teestapar also participated in a separate march at the Teesta Barrage Point.
It is learned that the Teesta river bed, which has not been excavated since its birth, has been filled up due to the slight rain and the upstream flow, and the water overflowed two banks and entered the locality, causing terrible flooding in Teestapar. Floods and erosion are destroying settlements and cropland.
At the same time, vast areas on the Teesta bank turn into sandy deserts for miles after the monsoon. As a result, thousands of hectares of cropland lie uncultivated.
On the other hand, the Indian government is unilaterally using the water of the Teesta river by constructing the Ghajoldoba dam upstream of the Teesta river. They release excess water during the monsoon season and submerge the Rangpur region on the Bangladesh side and turn it into a desert after the monsoon season.
For this reason, Bangladesh has been demanding a fair share of the water of the Teesta river for a long time. Various socio-political organizations have held various movements at different times to achieve this demand. Although the previous Awami League government announced the Teesta Master Plan to fulfill the long-standing demands of the people of the Teesta bank, it could not implement it due to the Awami League’s subservient policy towards India. Therefore, the Teesta River Protection Movement announced a new program to the new interim government to implement the Teesta Master Plan and achieve a fair share of Teesta water.
BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir inaugurated the 48-hour sit-in program on Monday afternoon. Thousands of people spent the first day organizing various events at 11 points in 5 districts on both banks of the 125-kilometer Teesta River and spent the night in tents on the Teesta River. At night, cultural programs were performed highlighting the culture of the Rangpur region. Documentaries depicting the happiness and sorrow of the people of Teesta River were screened. Through which the tragic picture of Teesta was presented in the international arena.
The movement to protect the river began its second day with a march. Both banks of the 125-kilometer Teesta River have become alive with the slogan of Jago Bahe Teesta Bachai. After the march on the second day, millions of people displayed placards on the Teesta River and demanded to protect the river. In the evening, BNP Acting Chairman Tarique Rahman will join 11 points virtually and express solidarity with the movement. The people of Teestapar are eagerly waiting to hear that statement.
The people of Teestapar claim that the Teesta issue was hanging for a long time due to the previous Awami League government’s knee-jerk policy towards India.  The people of Teestapar expect that the Teesta Master Plan, including the implementation of the Teesta Master Plan, will be implemented in the course of time after the fall of the Awami League government. If the master plan is implemented, the picture of North Bengal will change. Only then will the ever-familiar Teesta river regain its life. The call of the fishermen who live around the Teesta will return to work again.
The main coordinator of the movement, former Deputy Minister Principal Asadul Habib Dulu, Organizing Secretary of the BNP Central Committee, said that the second day of the program announced through the march has begun. The movement will continue until the announcement of the
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