The government has decided to allow interested private companies to operate water bus services on waterways around Dhaka as part of a broader initiative led by Prime Minister Tarique Rahman to revive the capital’s river transport network.

The decision was taken at a meeting chaired by the Prime Minister on Sunday at the Cabinet Division’s conference room at the Bangladesh Secretariat, according to Prime Minister’s Deputy Press Secretary Shahadat Hossain Shadhin.

The meeting also decided to restore and maintain the navigability of the waterways surrounding Dhaka to improve water-based transportation and ease urban mobility.

Under the initiative, proposals from interested private companies will be reviewed before they are granted permission to operate water bus services on designated routes.

Prime Minister Tarique Rahman directed the authorities concerned to take coordinated measures to reduce pollution in the rivers around the capital, improve Dhaka’s drainage system, and ensure uninterrupted water flow by maintaining the navigability of the waterways.

He emphasized that efforts to revive the waterways must go hand in hand with protecting the river ecosystem and strengthening overall urban management.

The Prime Minister also instructed the authorities to plant a variety of trees along the walkways built beside the rivers to enhance the environment and improve the aesthetic appeal of the riverbanks.

The meeting was attended by Road Transport, Railways and Shipping Minister Shaikh Rabiul Alam, State Minister for Environment, Forest and Climate Change Shaikh Faridul Islam, Dhaka South City Corporation Administrator Abdus Salam, Dhaka North City Corporation Administrator Md. Safiqul Islam Khan, Prime Minister’s Additional Press Secretary Atikur Rahman Rumon, and senior officials from the relevant ministries and agencies.