Land and Chittagong Hill Tracts Affairs Deputy Minister Barrister Mir Mohammad Helal Uddin MP said these things during an exchange of views with journalists yesterday Wednesday (July 15) after visiting the flood-affected and river erosion areas of Rangamati's border upazilas Baghaichhari and Longadu.
During the visit, the Deputy Minister toured various affected areas of Baghaichhari and Longadu upazilas, spoke with the affected people, and distributed relief materials among them.
While visiting the Barobindu Ghat area of Baghaichhari upazila, the Deputy Minister promised to rebuild 2 kilometers of broken road in this area and to quickly construct culverts and shelters. At that time, he spoke via video call with the Water Resources Minister and called for the rapid implementation of effective projects to prevent river erosion in Baghaichhari.
Regarding the overall development of the hill tracts, Deputy Minister Mir Helal said the government is working tirelessly to make the Chittagong Hill Tracts prosperous. Equal development will take place in every upazila of this region. Modern land offices and 100-bed hospitals will be implemented here in phases. Deputy Minister Mir Helal further informed that land acquisition work for the Baghaichhari Fire Service Station is currently ongoing and its construction will begin soon.
Pointing out the man-made causes of floods and natural disasters, Deputy Minister Mir Helal said that unplanned house construction, filling of canals and ponds, frequent unplanned construction of culverts, and blocking water flow by dumping garbage are causing natural disasters to take a severe form. He said everyone must become aware to prevent such major environmental disasters.
Emphasizing sustainable development, Deputy Minister Barrister Mir Helal said that our honorable Prime Minister Mr. Tarique Rahman has already announced the construction of 100-bed health complexes in every upazila of the country, and work has started towards that goal. He said the government is working with the aim of finding permanent solutions to any crisis. The Deputy Minister thanked the Baghaichhari upazila administration for providing quick food assistance to 8,834 flood-affected people during the disaster period.
During the visit to the affected areas, the Deputy Minister was accompanied by, among others, District BNP President Dipan Talukder Dipu, General Secretary Advocate Mamunur Rashid Mamun, Baghaichhari Upazila BNP President Md. Omar Ali, Additional District Magistrate Md. Imranul Haque Bhuiyan, Upazila Executive Officer Amina Marjan, and local administration and political leaders.
It is noteworthy that due to recent continuous rainfall, at least 30 villages in Baghaichhari upazila have been flooded, severely damaging roads, culverts, agricultural land, fish enclosures, educational institutions, and hundreds of homes.
