A protest march of thousands of people rocked the riverbanks in Lalmonirhat on Tuesday, demanding fair share of the Teesta River water and implementation of the Teesta Master Plan.
As part of a 48-hour sit-in organised by the Teesta River Protection Movement, the march began at the Lalmonirhat railway bridge at noon.
The protesters, led by chief coordinator of the movement Asadul Habib Dulu, also BNP鈥檚 central executive committee organising secretary and former deputy minister, walked through Kaunia upazila in Rangpur before returning to the bridge chanting various slogans like 鈥楯ago Bahey, Teesta Bachai鈥�.
The river, known for its turbulent flow during monsoon due to upstream water surges, turns into a barren desert-like stretch in the dry season, leaving thousands of hectares of land uncultivated along its banks.
Protesters accused India of unilateral water use through the Gajoldoba Barrage upstream releasing excessive water during monsoon that floods Bangladesh鈥檚 Rangpur region and withholding it during the dry season, turning the riverbed into a desert.
Various social and political organisations have long demanded a fair share of Teesta waters.
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