State Minister for Shipping Khalid Mahmud Chowdhury has laid the foundation stone of the construction works for Bangladesh Inland Water Transport Authority (BIWTA)'s office building in Dinajpur, rubber dam on Tulai River and walkway on the banks of Punarbhaba River.

Speaking at the foundation-laying programme, he said: "A river way will be constructed on the 26-kilometre (km) embankment on the banks of Dhepa and Punarbhaba rivers that starts from Dharmapur and Kamdebpur in Biral of Dinajpur and expands to Thakurgaon."

 With BIWTA Chairman Commodore Arif Ahmed Mostafa in the chair, the programme was addressed, among others, by BIWTA Member (Engineering) AKM Azadur Rahman, Local Deputy Commissioner Shakil Ahmed, Superintendent of Police Shah Iftekhar Ahmed and Project Director Md Saidur Rahman, an official handout said here today.

According to the handout, the BIWTA's office building is being constructed in Biral upazila at a cost of more than Taka 8.88 crore aiming to speed up the maintenance activities of the rivers of Rangpur division.

Constructions of two rubber dams and one weir (paved structure) and creating ancillary facilities in Tulai River will cost Tk 3.02 crore while walkways will also be constructed on the banks of Punarbhaba River.

A total of 95 percent excavation work that started from November, 2020 through five lots to restore the navigability of the 68 km long Tulai River, has been already completed, the handout said.

About 26.25 lakh cubic meters have been excavated at a cost the cost of 42.61 crore, it added.

The excavation work has started from February 2022 with the aim of digging 89.19 lakh cubic meters through seven packages to restore the navigability of 78 km length of Punarbhaba River at an estimated cost of Tk 145.57 crore.

The handout also said that about 47.13 km of Punarbhaba River has been made navigable by excavating 42.29 lakh cubic meters at a cost of Tk 69.74 crore.

The excavation is expected to be completed by June, 2024, the handout added.