On Sunday, the excavation of six canals under the North and South City Corporation in Mirpur-13, Dhaka, was inaugurated to address waterlogging issues in the capital.
The inauguration ceremony started with the excavation work of Bawniya Canal in the Rupsii Pro-Active Village residential area. The event was launched by the interim government’s Environment Adviser Syeda Rizwana Hasan, Industry Adviser Adilur Rahman Khan, and Sports Adviser Asif Mahmud Sajib Bhuiyan. They boarded a floating excavator to initiate the excavation work. Before this, they walked on a red carpet to enter the canal for the inauguration.
A media worker raised a question, saying, “Previous city mayors also initiated canal recovery with great fanfare, but now you are walking on a red carpet to inaugurate the excavation—what’s the reason for that?”
In response, Adviser Syeda Rizwana Hasan said, “I didn’t notice the (red carpet).”
She added, “Previously, canals were not recovered. But now, what is the benefit of starting this initiative? If we feel that it’s not possible to complete within eight or 14 months, we can at least begin the process.”
Meanwhile, the use of a red carpet for the canal excavation inauguration has sparked discussions and criticism on social media. Many have raised questions, posting pictures and expressing dissatisfaction. Some have questioned why a red carpet was laid for the inauguration of a canal excavation.
Others have posted videos of the inauguration, humorously asking, “What is the purpose of the red carpet here?”
Kabir Hossain wrote on Facebook, “A famine of taste. Those who deserve red carpet treatment have been constantly disrespected in the past.”
Mohammad Iftikhar posted, “A red carpet over a canal?”
Some have posted status updates with pictures of the red carpet captioned, “Visible reform of the current government!!!”
Earlier, Sports Adviser Asif Mahmud Sajib Bhuiyan faced criticism for using an expensive helicopter to distribute low-cost blankets with government funds. Netizens criticized the wastefulness, labeling it a record of unnecessary spending in Bangladesh’s history.
