The Bangladesh Nationalist Party will begin its long road march toward the Teesta Barrage in Lalmonirhat from Dhaka, today, to highlight the scarcity of water in the country’s northern areas, which they are blaming on the unilateral withdrawal of common river waters by India.
The organisers, however, have changed the starting point of the march from the party’s Nayapaltan headquarters to the airport intersection at Kurmitola, considering the capital’s traffic situation.
“We have shifted the starting point of our march considering the traffic congestion in the city. Usually, there are huge jams during office hours. That is why we have decided to start our motorcade from the airport intersection, instead of our Nayapaltan office,” Ruhul Kabir Rizvi, BNP’s joint secretary general, told reporters at a press briefing yesterday.
Rizvi said the Teesta River is facing water shortages and this is a national problem.
“India withdraws water unilaterally by constructing dams and barrages upstream in the Teesta River. The neighbouring country has been withdrawing water from the common river, violating international laws,” he said.
BNP acting secretary general Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir will lead the long march, while the party’s standing committee members, vice chairmen, advisers and hundreds of leaders and activists will take part.
Rizvi said they are hopeful that the general people will also join the march.
The former opposition party will hold six roadside rallies on the way to the northern region to drum up public support in favour of their programme.
Rizvi said the meetings will be held at Kaliakoir in Gazipur, at the Tangail bypass crossing, at Koddar Mor in Sirajganj, at the Matidhali intersection in Bogra, at Gonidaganj in Gaibandha and at Palashbari.
The marchers will stay overnight in Rangpur city and head to the Dalia point in Nilphamari tomorrow.