Dhaka, Oct. 20 -- With the Padma River drying up and water shortages threatening farmers, Prime Minister Tarique Rahman has pledged to fast-track barrage projects on the Padma and Teesta rivers.

A Padma barrage would benefit people in about 14 districts, including Rajshahi, he told a BNP rally at Haji Muhammad Mohsin Government High School on Tuesday.

"For the progress of the country, our farmers and our people, we have seen how the Padma River is drying up and how the flow of water is being obstructed. That is why we have decided, the BNP has decided, to build barrages on two of Bangladesh's major rivers -- the Teesta in the north and the Padma in Rajshahi -- so that we can resolve water shortages," he said.

The government would hold ...