BSS, Kishoreganj :
President Abdul Hamid has urged authorities to take extra care in planning development initiatives in environmentally delicate low lying haor region, as he wrapped up a three-day visit in this northern district, his birthplace.
“Climate change is now an important factor in development, so we must take pragmatic steps in chalking up development plans considering environmental features of particular areas,” he told a view exchange meeting with senior citizens, local representatives and officials last night at his hometown of Astagram.
He particularly drew everyone’s attention to the haor region’s topography saying no infrastructure should disrupt the natural water flows in the low lying flood plains here.
The president said Bangladesh needed to address many problems with limited resources and therefore development issues should be identified on the basis of priority requirements involving people in the neighbourhod.
Simultaneously, he said, development interventions should take place as planned on priority basis as well.
Earlier at a public address the president expected the government initiatives to develop further the socio-economic scenario of backward haor region despite its complicated geographic features.
“Haor people by now witnessed massive development but the geographic features made the region largely unsuitable for mega (development) projects,” he said.
But, he said, the haor region was expected to witness further development in view of the government plans for balanced development of areas with different topographic features.
During the meeting, local people highlighted various local problems seeking him to use his good office to resolve them.
The president reminded the people of his links to the region which shaped his long political career since his student life.
“Since then I’m trying to do something good for you though I failed to do many things till date that gives me pain always,” he said.
