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Prime Minister Tarique Rahman will visit Rangpur on Tuesday, October 20, and inspect the Durga Puja pandal at the historic Dharmasabha Radha Gobinda Temple at 11:00am.
Rangpur Deputy Commissioner Israt Jahan confirmed the visit to journalists on Thursday, saying the prime minister would also exchange greetings with members of the Hindu community.
According to the itinerary, Tarique Rahman will leave Tejgaon Airport in Dhaka by air at 9:00am for Saidpur Airport before travelling by road to the temple in Rangpur.
After the visit, he will return to Saidpur Airport. He is also scheduled to visit two other Durga Puja pandals in Rajshahi and Chattogram on the same day.
Preparations are also underway at the Shri Shri Karunamoyee Kali Temple and Guptapara Temple in Rangpur city.
The planned visit has generated considerable enthusiasm among local BNP leaders and activists.
Mahfuz Un Nabi Chowdhury Don, member secretary of Rangpur Metropolitan BNP and administrator of Rangpur City Corporation, said preparations were being made at the party level.
He described the visit as an unusual occasion, saying the prime minister was travelling outside the capital to join the Sharadiya festivities in a regional city.
The Radha Gobinda Temple is one of the oldest and most significant gathering places for the Hindu community in Rangpur. Besides serving as a place of worship, it has long been a centre for the community’s cultural and social activities.
A total of 964 pandals are hosting Durga Puja across Rangpur district this year. Of these, 164 are located in the 33 wards of Rangpur city, while 800 are spread across the district’s eight upazilas.
The district administration and police have arranged a four-tier security system to ensure peaceful celebrations of the major Hindu religious festival.
The government has allocated 578 tonnes of special general relief rice for distribution among the 964 puja pandals in the district.
Don said Rangpur City Corporation would provide all necessary assistance to ensure safe, uninterrupted and festive celebrations at the city’s 164 pandals. This year, the grant for each pandal has been increased by Tk 1,000 to Tk 15,000.
