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The party chief also said initiatives would be taken to set up jute-based factories in Tangail.

Tarique further spoke of export-oriented production, including fish fry from Mymensingh, handloom products from Sirajganj and Pabna, Tangail sarees and caps, and pineapple juice from Tangail.

Regarding healthcare, the BNP chief said medical colleges would be built in Narsingdi and Feni, while the Hatiya upazila hospital would have 150 beds.

He also promised a higher number of hospital beds in Naogaon, and four district hospitals in Mymensingh division.

The BNP chief added that his party would build a hospital in the capital’s Uttara and a specialised hospital in Rajshahi so that patients would not need to go abroad for treatment.

On welfare, Tarique said female workers of 130 tea gardens in Moulvibazar would be brought under the Family Card, while slum dwellers in the capital’s Bhasantek would be rehabilitated.

He also promised that low-cost housing would be provided to solve workers’ accommodation problems and government-run day-care centres would be set up for the children of female workers in Gazipur.

In Rangpur, Tarique said microloans taken from registered NGOs would be paid by the government if the BNP comes to power, while farmers’ agricultural loans of Tk 10,000 would be waived with interest.

Khas land would be provided to landless people in Hatiya.

Regarding infrastructure and transport, the BNP chief said an overpass would be built over the Joydebpur rail crossing in Gazipur to ease vehicular movement, while a railway line in Naogaon would be developed to facilitate the transport of agricultural products. Jahajmara union in Hatiya would be upgraded to an upazila.

Block embankments would be built in Hatiya to prevent river erosion, and the Turag, Labandah, and Chilai canals in Gazipur would be re-excavated to improve water flow.

Padma river in Rajshahi would be dredged and a Padma barrage built, while work on the Teesta barrage would be sped up and the Teesta masterplan implemented in phases, Tarique said.

In Tangail, he said an embankment on the Jamuna would be erected to improve waterways for transporting goods.

Tarique said initiatives would be taken to address narcotics trade in Narayanganj, Dhaka, Netrakona, and Sherpur.

He said steps would be taken to resolve waterlogging in Uttara. Nijhum Dwip would be developed as a modern tourist centre.

Apart from the area-focused commitments, the BNP outlined an eight-sector plan to be implemented if elected, including family and farmer cards, appointing one lakh health workers, providing tablets to teachers, establishing vocational institutes, giving monthly honorariums and festival allowances to religious leaders, and excavating canals.

Analysts said the party should first present a clear roadmap before making promises; otherwise, public suspicion about their implementation will continue to grow.

Talking to The Daily Star, Mohammad Mojibur Rahman, professor at Dhaka University’s Institute of Education and Research, said when the area-based promises are made during campaigning, there needs to be a complete outline; otherwise, people may become suspicious.

He added that the framework should include their objectives, how long they will take, how they will be carried out, who will implement them, and from where the funding will come.

Another expert, Al Masud Hasanuzzaman, former professor of government and politics at Jahangirnagar University, said, “We have seen in the past that, before different elections, parties make many promises, but those promises are not implemented. To carry out infrastructure commitments, proper financing is crucial.”