A three-member delegation of the Chinese Embassy led by Ambassador Li Jiming visited the Teesta Barrage area in Lalmonirhat's Hatibandha Sunday.

Replying to a question, the ambassador said they intend to excavate the Teesta river during his tenure here.

"Teesta is a big river. It's a big challenge but if we can excavate it, the living standards of the people of northern Bangladesh will improve to a great extent," said Jiming.

He added that he was visiting the river to further the process of a feasibility study for the Teesta megaproject proposed by the Chinese side to their Bangladeshi counterparts in government

"We'll decide the timeframe of the project once our engineers complete their inspection. I hope that we'll be able to start the Teesta Mega project within a very short time. It's not only good news for the northern people but is also a matter to be proud of for all Bangladeshis," added the ambassador.

Aminul Haque Bhuiyan, Engineer (North) of Rangpur Water Development Board (WDB), Mizanur Rahman, Executive Engineer of Lalmonirhat WDB, TM Momin, Additional Deputy Commissioner (ADC) of Lalmonirhat and Nazir Hossain, Upazila Nirbahi Officer (UNO) of Hatibandha, among others, were present during the Chinese Ambassador's visit.