CHATTOGRAM, July 12: The district administration has taken up measures again to free the Karnaphuli River from the clutches of encroachers by removing all 2,181 illegal structures from its banks.
After initiating the move, the authorities have cleared the south bank of the port city lifeline of illegal structures on Tuesday afternoon.
Sources said Assistant Commissioner (Land) of Karnaphuli Upazila Pijush Kumar Chowdhury headed a drive that demolished a structure illegally erected by IMS Group.
AC (Land) Pijush Kumar Chowdhury said the administration conducted the eviction drive from 4 pm to 6 pm on Tuesday and demolished a building that was built by illegal occupiers.
The administration also fined the IMS Group Tk200,000 for the offence, he added.
Earlier, on March 3 last, a team of the administration led by Assistant Commissioner (Land, Agrabad Circle) Galib Chowdhury and Assistant Commissioner (Land, Sadar Circle) Rajib Hossain conducted a mobile court and removed 150 illegal structures from the bank of the Karnaphuli in Banglabazar area of the port city.
Deputy Commissioner (DC) of Chattogram Abul Bashar Mohammed Fakhrujjaman told The FE that the drive of the administration to clear all 2,181 illegal structures from the banks of the Karnaphuli, which was halted after running from February 4 to 9 in 2019 will be continued again.
The district administration is ready to take legal action against the encroachers now, the DC said.
He added, "When we will be informed that anybody has kept the river land under illegal occupation, we will take action immediately. Besides, we will remove all 2,181 illegal structures from the banks of the Karnaphuli within the current year."
The Karnaphuli, which is the arterial river for Chattogram region, is largely shrinking on its both sides due to illegal occupation and silt accumulation.
The river has lost it's around 500 miters of land for illegal occupation.
Chattogram Nodi and Khal Rokkha Andolan (CNKRA), a social movement to save the river and canals conducted a survey on the Karnaphuli River recently.
According to the survey of the CNKRA, Karnaphuli is narrowing at many places due to illegal occupation of its land as well as large-scale siltation.
The study, citing the ADB Master Plan and BS survey, said the Karnaphuli was 886.16 meters wide when the first bridge was constructed over it during the Erashad regime.
But now the river is only 410 meters wide under the bridge.
Silt has accumulated across an area of 476 miters of the river where grabbers have built their illegal structures.
It may be mentioned that the High Court issued fresh directives to the Chittagong Port Authority (CPA) on February 11, 2019 to remove all illegal structures from the banks of the Karnaphuli within next three months and to snap all utility services, including gas, power and water, from the illegal structures.
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