Abbas Ali, 60, a resident of Harupur area, said more than 2,500 dwelling houses and adjacent crop fields were devoured by the river erosion in the area during last thirty years.
Bangladesh Water Development Board (BWDB) is implementing the protection works on 2,650 meter areas from Bulanpur to Harupur in five packages at a cost of around Taka 268.70 crore, said Executive Engineer Mukhlesur Rahman.
Upon completion of the present works by this coming June, embankment protection works on another 2,255 meter area from Harupur to Sonaikandi will start. As a result, more than five kilometers area will be protected from river erosion.
Progress of the present works is around 90 percent since June last and the rest work is expected to end by forthcoming June.
Upon successful completion of the five-kilometer bank protection works, the entire area will be like an amusement park. Dredging works in the river will start as soon as possible, he added.
Engineer Rahman said Bangabandhu Hi-tech Park is being constructed beside the bank protection site that will create scope of huge employment generation here.
Fazley Hossain Badsha, MP, the General Secretary of Workers Party of Bangladesh, visited the site yesterday saying step has been taken to bring back navigability in the Padma River through dredging.
In the preliminary stage, a six-kilometer area from Shreerampur to Sonaikandi will be brought under dredging with an estimated cost of around Taka 28 crore. Tender has already been floated and the work is expected to start by just after the coming monsoon.
Badsha added government has taken a decision to dig 19 rivers around the country. The unplanned sand extracting has been hampering the natural water flow in the river. He demanded a long term plan to protect the rivers of the country.