Govt wants to revive 10,000 km waterways: minister

The government has taken initiatives to restore and preserve 10,000 killometre waterways of the country, State Minister for Shipping Khalid Mahmud Chowdhury told parliament today.

The state minister said this in reply to a query of independent MP Muhammad Saiful Islam from Dhaka-19.

In the scripted answer, the state minister said the government has taken measures to dredge and revive all rivers in the country.

In reply to a query of ruling Awami League MP Nur Uddin Chowdhury Nayan from Laxmipur-2, Khalid Mahmud said the total number of rescue ships in Bangladesh Inland Water Transport Authority (BIWTA) is four -- Nirvhik, Prottoy, Hamza and Rustom.

He also informed the House that the process is underway to include more powerful rescue ships in its fleet, capable of lifting 1500 to 2000 tonnes in the future.

Additionally, the state minister mentioned that steps have been taken to procure necessary machinery, including four winch barges, to enhance the rescue capacity unit of BIWTA.