Thousands of people gathered along the banks of the Muhuri River in Bangladesh's Feni district on Thursday, braving heavy rain in the hope of catching a glimpse of Prime Minister Tarique Rahman during his first visit to the district since taking office.

Tarique Rahman arrived in Feni as part of a day-long visit to inspect and inaugurate a series of development projects and public programmes.

His motorcade left his residence in Gulshan, Dhaka, shortly after 08:30 local time. The bus carrying him reached Feni at about 13:15 before continuing towards Ghatghar in Parshuram upazila, near the Muhuri Bridge.

By the time the prime minister arrived at around 14:00, heavy rain had begun. He nevertheless proceeded to the programme venue, where he inaugurated the Tk15.42bn (£approximately) Muhuri-Kahua Flood Control Project at about 14:30.

The public meeting began shortly afterwards.

But for many of those who had gathered since the morning, the main attraction was not the project itself.

They had come to see the prime minister.

The gathering at South Kautali, beside the Muhuri River in the Ghatghar area of Parshuram, began early in the morning. The meeting venue was already full before 10:00, leaving many people unable to enter. They instead stood along nearby roads and on the riverbank.

Among them was Nurjahan, a woman in her 50s from Purba Sahebnagar village. She had arrived with her grandson at about 09:00.

“He is one of us,” she said. “Tarique Rahman is the eldest son of Begum Khaleda Zia, the daughter of this district. That is why we feel he is one of our own. I have been standing here since morning just to see him once.”

Local farmer Abdul Jalil, who is in his 60s, said he hoped the flood-control project would bring lasting relief to communities living along the river.

“If the embankment along the Muhuri River is properly repaired, our area will be protected from flooding every year,” he said, adding, “We are grateful to the prime minister for inaugurating such a large project. We hope the authorities concerned will carry out the work properly.”

The prime minister has strong family ties to Feni. His maternal grandfather, Iskandar Majumder, the father of former prime minister Khaleda Zia, was from Fulghazi upazila in the district.

Khaleda Zia represented the Feni-1 constituency, which comprises Fulghazi and two other upazilas, as a member of parliament on five occasions.

Tarique Rahman is due to visit Fulghazi later on Thursday as part of his tour.

At Begum Khaleda Zia Women's College, he is scheduled to take part in a tree-planting programme and speak with students. He will then inaugurate the supply of electricity from solar panels at the Fulghazi District Council Dak Bungalow.

Later in the afternoon, the prime minister is expected to attend a programme at Fulghazi Government Pilot High School, where family cards and farmer cards are due to be distributed. Honorariums will also be provided to imams, muezzins and khadims of mosques, as well as people working at other religious places of worship.

The prime minister's visit has brought a festive atmosphere to Fulghazi, with thousands of people taking up positions along the roads since morning.

After completing his engagements, Mr Rahman is scheduled to leave Feni for Dhaka by road at about 17:00. He is expected to reach the capital at around 21:00.