State Minister for Local Government, Rural Development and Cooperatives Mashiur Rahman Ranga has said people living alongside the river Teesta in Gangachara upazila will not suffer from erosion from next year, reports BSS.

"I have already taken allocation of Taka 126 crore from Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina for construction of river protection works and flood control embankment during the next dry season to bring an end to suffering of Gangachara people from erosion," he said.

Ranga said this on Sunday afternoon at a function held at Char Sankardaho Government Primary School for distribution of 40 tonnes of rice as relief among flood-hit people of different areas under Gangachara upazila as the chief guest.

The State Minister said the people living alongside right bank of the Teesta in the upazila would not loose anything due to river erosion in future after completion of construction works of the river protection embankment next year.

"The riverside people had to remain under erosion threat of the Teesta during rainy seasons, many of them lost houses, cultivable lands and properties and became homeless over the decades in Gangachara upazila in the pasts," he said.

"However, people of the upazila would not have any threat of river erosion after completion of the river protection embankment as the Prime Minister has allocated Taka 126 crore and will give more allocation for the purpose," he said. With Acting Upazila Nirbahi Officer Ishraat Jahan Sumi in the chair, Upazila Project Implementation Officer Babul Chandra Roy, President of Gangachara upazila Jatiya Party Alhaj Shamsul Alam, union Chairmen Dr Azizul Islam and Abdullah Al Hadi, attended the ceremony, among others.

Earlier, the State Minister distributed 10-kg rice among each of the flood-affected families of Kolkond, Laksmitari, Gajoghontha, Gangachara, Mornea, Alambiditor and Nohali unions at different places in the upazila.

Meanwhile in Sirajganj, Water Resources Minister Anisul Islam Mahmud yesterday said the government would construct an embankment from Shimla to Khubbandi of Sadar upazila aimed at protecting the locality from the erosion of Jamuna River, reports BSS.

“The government has already undertaken a project involving Taka 450 crore for building the dam and the construction work of the project will start this year after the approval of ECNEC,” he said while inspecting the damaged portion of an embankment at Bahuka village this morning.

The minister also said the reconstruction work of Chouhali upazila protection embankment will start in the upcoming dry season.

State Minister for Water Resources Nazrul Islam, Additional Director General of the ministry Mosaddek Hossain, Executive Engineer of Power Development, Rajshahi zone Mohammad Ali, Engineer Babul Chandra Singh, Bogra, Director of Sirajganj Chamber Abu Yusuf and Deputy Commissioner Kamrun Nahar Siddika, among others, accompanied the minister during the visit.