Rajshahi, Sep 30 (V7N) – Students from Rangpur division studying at Rajshahi University staged a demonstration demanding a fair share of Bangladesh’s river waters with India, protesting the deliberate opening of the Ghazaldoba dam, and calling for the implementation of the Teesta Master Plan. The rally took place at Paris Road on the Rajshahi University campus at 11 AM on Monday.

Holding placards that read slogans such as “I don’t want to float year by year, I want a permanent solution to Teesta,” “Is North Bengal out of the country?” and “One step, one demand, Teesta Master Plan is a demand for time,” the students called attention to the recurring floods and the lack of a long-term solution for the Teesta River crisis.

Alamgir Hossain, a master's student in the Mathematics Department, voiced the frustrations of many, saying, “Floods occur two to three times every year, causing billions of takas in damage. Even schools, colleges, and mosques are not spared. Despite repeated assurances, no permanent solution is provided.”

Majed, a student in the Marketing Department, highlighted the persistent neglect faced by the region, stating, “Kurigram has been subjected to various types of discrimination since the beginning. Every year, floods come, and relief is given, but we don’t want relief anymore. We want the Teesta Master Plan implemented.”

MA Yusuf Ali, an MPhil student in the Arabic Department, emphasized the dire situation in Teesta-affected areas, saying, “There is no one to listen to the cries of the people living near the Teesta. Due to the artificial crisis, Kurigram residents have been made the poorest. Their earnings, livestock, and livelihoods are washed away annually. They now want more than relief; they want a fair water share and a permanent solution.”

More than a hundred students attended the rally, urging authorities to prioritize the implementation of the Teesta Master Plan, which promises a lasting solution to the water crisis that has long plagued the northern regions of Bangladesh.

END/RA/AJ