Today is the 50th anniversary, the golden jubilee, of historic Farakka Long March.
On this day of May 16, 1976, mass leader Maulana Abdul Hamid Khan Bhashani led a massive long march from Rajshahi towards India鈥檚 Farakka Barrage, demanding its demolition.
The Indian government erected the dam to divert the flow of water from the River Ganges into its territory.
Thousands of people participated in the march and staged a demonstration protesting at construction of the dam across the Ganges in the Indian state of West Bengal, some 16.5 kilometres off the Chapainawabganj border.
The barrage has been affecting Bangladesh鈥檚 ecology since its commissioning on the trans-boundary river flowing as the Padma River through Bangladesh.
On the eve of the day, Bangladesh Nationalist Party secretary general Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir, in a statement said that the historic event for the just demand for a fair share of the river water encouraged people to go for any of their rights.
Different political parties and organnisations have taken different programmes to observe the day.
International Farakka Committee, New York, International Farakka Committee, Bangladesh will jointly hold a rally today in Central Shaheed Minar at 4:00pm where leaders of the committee will speak, a press release said.
Ganosamhati Andolan will hold a rally in front of the National Press Club to mark the day today at 10:30am.
The chief coordinator of the Ganosamhati, Zonayed Saki, will speak at the rally.聽聽聽
Bhashani Onusari Parishad will also hold a discussion at the National Press Club at 12 noon to mark the day.
Nagarik Oikya president Mahmudur Rahman Manna will speak at the discussion.
