Canal excavation programme costed, budgeted: Finance minister

Finance and Planning Minister Amir Khosru Mahmud Chowdhury has said that the government has undertaken the canal excavation programme after careful financial planning and already allocated a sufficient budget for it.

“Every project under the programme is costed and budgeted,” he said while talking to the media after inaugurating the re-excavation of the Bamansundar Canal in Mirsarai upazila of Chattogram today (16 March).

The plans for canal excavation were prepared based on clearly defined expenditure estimates and allocated funds, he said, adding that the initiative is part of a broader plan to revive rivers, canals and other water reservoirs.

Referring to BNP’s election manifesto to excavate nearly 20,000 kilometres of canals nationwide, the minister said that as part of the initial phase, the government aims to excavate around 1,200 kilometres of canals within the next six months.

He acknowledged that completing such a massive programme will take time and cannot be achieved overnight. Therefore, it will be implemented gradually in phases across different regions.

Khosru said successful completion of the planned canal network could bring major benefits to agriculture, the environment and local economies. Once a canal is revived, up to 15,000 hectares of land may come under cultivation, potentially increasing food production by about 5,000 tonnes.

Addressing the issue of illegal canal occupation, he said that boundary demarcation of many canals has already begun and government-owned canals will be cleared of encroachment before excavation work proceeds.