Thousands of people held a torchlight demonstration on Thursday night in Gangachara upazila of Rangpur, demanding that the government begin implementation of the Teesta Mega Project by November, ahead of the next national election schedule.
The program, organized under the banner of the Teesta River Protection Movement, took place along the Teesta riverbank in Mahipur. It was led by the movement’s chief coordinator and BNP’s Rangpur divisional organizing secretary, Asadul Habib Dulu, who attended as the chief guest. Movement leader Nazrul Islam Hakkani and several local BNP activists and organizers were also present.
Chanting “Jago Bahe, Teesta Bachai” (Rise, Save Teesta), thousands of residents participated in the procession, carrying flaming torches that illuminated the riverbanks. Similar torchlight programs were held at 31 locations across 10 upazilas along the Teesta River in Rangpur Division.
In his address before the torchlight march, Asadul Habib Dulu said, “The Chinese government has agreed to implement the Teesta Mega Project. The interim government had promised that work would begin during its tenure, but we see no progress yet.”
He urged authorities to start the project by November, warning that any further delay could cause the initiative to “stall indefinitely.”
Leaders from the demonstration also declared that if the government fails to announce the start of the Teesta project within seven days, they would enforce a shutdown across five districts in Rangpur region.
Earlier, on October 5, BNP-led demonstrators held similar protests in the five districts and submitted a memorandum to the Chief Adviser through local administrations. Another round of demonstrations was organized across all upazilas of Rangpur on October 9.
Meanwhile, torchlight protests were also held at four riverbank points in Lalmonirhat, where thousands echoed the slogan “Jago Bahe, Teesta Bachai.”
The Lalmonirhat event at the Teesta Rail Bridge was led by Asadul Habib Dulu, while another demonstration at the Teesta Barrage area in Hatibandha upazila was led by BNP executive committee member Hasan Rajib Pradhan.
MN/
