If BNP Comes to Power, Bangladesh Will Get Monorail and Paypal-TARIQUE RAHMAN

BNP Chairman Tarique Rahman on Tuesday said that if the BNP comes to power in the next national election, his government will undertake a massive programme to dig 20,000 kilometres of canals across the country to resolve long-standing waterlogging and urban drainage problems.

He made the remarks at a prayer meeting and exchange of views organised by Banani Society at the Chairmanbari Ground in Banani on January 20, seeking divine blessings for the late former Prime Minister Begum Khaleda Zia. His wife, Dr Zubaida Rahman, was present at the event.

Recalling the canal-digging initiatives of martyred President Ziaur Rahman, Tarique said those programmes had played a crucial role in improving livelihoods across different regions. He noted that many canals, particularly in Dhaka, have been filled or closed over time, creating severe waterlogging. “If elected by the people, we will take effective measures to protect existing canals and re-excavate them where necessary,” he said.

Tarique Rahman also highlighted his broader “I Have a Plan” vision, which he said includes solutions for waterlogging, environmental pollution, education reform, youth unemployment and the crisis in the health sector. He added that future plans would include introducing modern urban transport systems such as monorail services and facilitating global digital payment platforms like PayPal to support entrepreneurship and freelancing.

Speaking about the environment, Tarique said Dhaka has lost much of its greenery over the years, making the city drier and less livable. To address this, he pledged that a BNP government would plant 250 million trees within five years.

He said the capacity of both government and private nurseries would be expanded in every upazila. Experts have conducted two years of research to identify environmentally suitable tree species for different regions, and afforestation will be carried out based on those findings, he added.