Published : 06 Oct 2026, 02:39 PM
Updated : 06 Oct 2026, 02:39 PM
Information Advisor Zahed Ur Rahman has affirmed that the government remains “highly sincere and eager” to implement the Teesta River Comprehensive Management and Restoration Project.
Briefing on government activities at the Secretariat on Tuesday, Zahed said the source of funding, whether China, Bangladesh or elsewhere, is secondary to the administration's primary commitment to executing the scheme.
The plan taken up initially under the Sheikh Hasina government centred on river management, erosion control, dredging, bank protection and land reclamation, he noted.
According to the advisor, the Teesta stretches 5 to 8km wide in places, and the idea was to rein in its course through dredging and bank protection, stop the erosion and reclaim land nearby.
He said a feasibility study is under way on adding water conservation to the new plan.
Holding monsoon water behind a barrage for dry-season use was not part of the earlier plan, and the river's swift flow makes storage hard. Experts have told the government that planning for it is possible, Zahed added.
The funding source has not been fixed. “Bangladesh will take any decision that serves its interests,” he said. “This is an independent, sovereign government that decides in the interests of the people and the state.”
On the Chittagong Port deal and management, the advisor said the government will take whatever decision serves the broader public interest.
Asked whether it would reconsider the proposed deal in response to the labour movement against it, he said the state's and the people's interests will guide it.
“Any decision may clash with the interests of some individual, group or organisation, but if the government takes a welfare decision, it will go ahead after reassuring all sides.”
“If the government finally goes ahead with the decision, it will be done by reassuring every stakeholder, those who are at the port, and those who work there,” Zahed said.
Asked whether the government would back off because of the workers' protests, he said it would not drop a public-welfare decision merely because of agitation, but would consult all parties first.
“Whenever we are about to take a step, it may go against the interests of some person or some group,” he said.
Questioned on BNP's earlier position on the port, the advisor said he did not clearly remember.
When journalists cited the November 2025 remarks of BNP Acting Secretary General Ruhul Kabir Rizvi, he said he would check whether the party had taken any stand in parliament and report back.
If the BNP had taken a position that has since changed, he would verify it and comment later.
Turning to energy and LPG market volatility, the advisor said raids by the Directorate of National Consumer Rights Protection alone cannot fix the problem for good.
The government is working in a coordinated way to ensure fair prices and steady supply for importers, traders and bottlers, while taking strict legal action against rule-breakers, he added.
