Tarique Rahman turns Sheikh Hasina’s Delta Plan into a canal-digging program

BD Digest Report

BNP Acting Chairman Tarique Rahman has started a new nationwide program modeled after former President Ziaur Rahman’s ‘Khalkata Program’. However, a big question has arisen in the political and public circles, is this program really an implementation of Zia’s ideology, or a political imitation of the extensive canal and river excavation project (canal excavation in 64 districts or Delta Plan 2100) undertaken by the Sheikh Hasina government in the last 15 years? Thousands of kilometers of canals were excavated during the Sheikh Hasina government’s tenure. Now that Tarique Rahman has started the same work in a new form, the question arises is this part of a political strategy, or an attempt to transform the development continuity?

But the horrific irregularities that have emerged in the digging of seven canals at the very beginning of this new program in Jhalakathi have put the future of Tarique Rahman’s public welfare program at extreme risk. In the aftermath of August 5, the uncontrolled and possessive behavior of BNP grassroots leaders and activists across the country has led the common people to fear that the influential leaders and activists of his party may become ‘crocodiles’ and roam around in the canals that Tarique Rahman is cutting. There is a strong doubt in the public mind about whether this program will ultimately become a tool for the leaders’ ‘divide and conquer’ instead of public welfare.

The municipal authorities have issued a show-cause notice to a contractor named ‘Ajmer Builders Ltd.’ for allegedly creating unethical and administrative pressure on the municipality by not completing the excavation work of seven canals in the Jhalakathi municipal area on time.

Municipality Assistant Engineer (Civil) T.M. Rezaul Haque Rizvi said that although the work of digging seven canals was given in the 2024-2025 financial year, the contractor has partially left the work of six canals. The work of one canal has not even started. Despite repeated requests, no work has been done, resulting in waterlogging and increasing the risk of dengue in the area.

The notice states that the contractor has already withdrawn Tk 52.71 lakh against this project worth Tk 1 crore 33 lakh. However, without completing the work, he is pressuring the municipality through various ‘influential circles’ for the final bill and approval of the previous work and threatening the engineers. There is a lot of gossip among the locals about who these ‘influential circles’ actually are. Many feel that new ‘crocodiles’ are now attacking these development projects, taking advantage of the political change.

If you check Google and development records, you will see that during Sheikh Hasina’s tenure, a huge budget was allocated for the dredging of rivers and canals across the country. Especially through the ‘Re-Dredging of Small Rivers, Canals and Water Bodies in 64 Districts’ project, extensive work was done across the country. When Tarique Rahman started this program anew, the common people expected that there would be transparency and a new dimension here. But the Jhalakathi incident says otherwise.

Contractor Md. Sarwar Hossain called the notice unreasonable, but the municipal authorities are adamant on their position. Engineer Rizvi clearly stated that if a satisfactory response is not received within 3 days, the contractor’s license will be canceled and the security deposit will be confiscated.

No matter what noble purpose Tarique Rahman starts this program, if he cannot control the grassroots leaders and activists, it can take a more terrible form than the corruption during Sheikh Hasina’s tenure. This example of Jhalakathi is an early warning. If BNP cannot stop its occupation, influence peddling and irregularities, then this Khalkata program will turn into another ‘miracle lamp’ for the party leaders’ personal gain instead of public welfare.