Land grabbers continue to encroach on Buriganga
Shawkat Ali Khan
Shawkat Ali Khan
Land grabbers continue to encroach upon the River Buriganga, a lifeline of the Dhaka city, despite the ongoing movement by environmentalists to protect the river.
Encroachment upon the bank of the river continues unabated due to lack of proper implementation of the existing laws by the government agencies concerned.
Government land on the two sides of the Rayerbazar embankment along the Buriganga have already been grabbed by influential quarters including different real estate groups.
After earth filling work, the encroachers have built houses, hospitals and CNG station, saw mills, brick kilns, business establishments and auto-mobile workshops.
At least 20 feet free space was supposed to be left on both sides of the embankment along the river, said an official at the Water Development Board.
The government acquired 19.83 acres of land at Ramchandrapur mouja, 8.30 acres at Barabo and 0.52 acres at Katashore mouja in 1988-89 to build Rayerbazar embankment.
Later in 1992-93, the government acquired 14.50 acres of land at Ramchandrapur and 2.55 acres at Barabo for the embankment.
‘We have acquired 100 feet to 300 feet land in the areas for building the dam,’ a senior official of the Land Acquisition Department, said.
Meanwhile, influential people in connivance with corrupt officials are engaged in grabbing different water bodies in and around the city, posing serious threat to environment, said sources at the Bangladesh Inland Water Transport Authority.
Some environmentalists said a number of housing companies have recently mushroomed on both sides of the under-construction 3rd Buriganga-Basila Bridge.
The bridge project manager Zahurul Islam told New Age that the government had acquired 100 feet to 300 feet of land for a road connecting Basila with the embankment.
During a spot visit, our correspondent found that most of the land had been grabbed by some influential quarters.
Local residents said most of the grabbed land had remained under water a few months back and the construction work of the bridge prompted the land grabbers to fill the water bodies.
‘We are trying our best to protect the water bodies of the city,’ said Abu Naser Khan of Bangladesh Paribesh Banchao Andolan.
The BIWTA authorities during the regime of the immediate past interim government demolished about 3,200 illegal structures along the bank of Buriganga and 800 structures on the bank of Shitalakya.
The interim government also reclaimed four city canals — Shubhatta, Rampura, Gazaria and Gobindapur canals.
Encroachment upon the bank of the river continues unabated due to lack of proper implementation of the existing laws by the government agencies concerned.
Government land on the two sides of the Rayerbazar embankment along the Buriganga have already been grabbed by influential quarters including different real estate groups.
After earth filling work, the encroachers have built houses, hospitals and CNG station, saw mills, brick kilns, business establishments and auto-mobile workshops.
At least 20 feet free space was supposed to be left on both sides of the embankment along the river, said an official at the Water Development Board.
The government acquired 19.83 acres of land at Ramchandrapur mouja, 8.30 acres at Barabo and 0.52 acres at Katashore mouja in 1988-89 to build Rayerbazar embankment.
Later in 1992-93, the government acquired 14.50 acres of land at Ramchandrapur and 2.55 acres at Barabo for the embankment.
‘We have acquired 100 feet to 300 feet land in the areas for building the dam,’ a senior official of the Land Acquisition Department, said.
Meanwhile, influential people in connivance with corrupt officials are engaged in grabbing different water bodies in and around the city, posing serious threat to environment, said sources at the Bangladesh Inland Water Transport Authority.
Some environmentalists said a number of housing companies have recently mushroomed on both sides of the under-construction 3rd Buriganga-Basila Bridge.
The bridge project manager Zahurul Islam told New Age that the government had acquired 100 feet to 300 feet of land for a road connecting Basila with the embankment.
During a spot visit, our correspondent found that most of the land had been grabbed by some influential quarters.
Local residents said most of the grabbed land had remained under water a few months back and the construction work of the bridge prompted the land grabbers to fill the water bodies.
‘We are trying our best to protect the water bodies of the city,’ said Abu Naser Khan of Bangladesh Paribesh Banchao Andolan.
The BIWTA authorities during the regime of the immediate past interim government demolished about 3,200 illegal structures along the bank of Buriganga and 800 structures on the bank of Shitalakya.
The interim government also reclaimed four city canals — Shubhatta, Rampura, Gazaria and Gobindapur canals.
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