Food and Agriculture Minister Begum Matia Chowdhury yesterday told the Jatiya Sangsad that considering the huge ipsses the country suffers in recurring floods, the government has taken up an ex-.tensive programme for the dredging of the main rivers, including loop cutting, reports

Replying to a question from Treasury Bench member Haji Mohammad Selim (Dhaka 8). the minister said the reason of recurring floods in the country was that dredging of the raised river beds was not done by the past governments on the plea that it would involve huge costs.

The agriculture minister was replying on the behalf of Water Resources Minister Abdur Raz-zak who was not present in the House during the question hour.

Begum Motia Chowdhury said that after the dredging of the main rivers, the government was contemplating to take up dredging of the smaller important rivers.

She said Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has been consulting the donor countries for procurement of more dredgers for the purpose.

Begum Motia Chowdhury told the Sangsad that 8.2 kilometres of access road will be constructed by this financial year under ADB assistance on flood protection embankment from Mitford to Mohammad-pur.