The government has taken a move to take up another Hatirjheel-like project on the bank of the Buriganga river in city's Shyampur area aiming to decorate the capital with eye-catching establishments, officials said Thursday.
The project will be taken up on the riverbank lands which had been recovered from illegal land grabbers in Sadarghat-Shyampur-Badamtali ghat area, they added.
An eight-member committee headed by joint secretary of the ministry of shipping (MoS) Nur-Ur-Rahman was formed recently and asked to submit a report to the ministry.
The department concerned of the Bangladesh Army had been asked to submit a dummy project proposal like the Hatirjheel project to the ministry.
When contacted, Mr Rahman told the FE Thursday that the aim of the project is to protect the recovered lands from the clutches of illegal occupants and enhance the beauty of the area.
"We want to save the ailing river from illegal occupants. Implementation of a project like Hatirjheel in that area will help us to save the river bank as well as beautify the site," he said.
Mr Rahman said the committee would sit soon to discuss how such a beautification project could be taken up on the riverbank.
Another official said the government agencies concerned carry out drives against illegal occupants to save the ailing river.
 "But days after the drives, the areas are being reoccupied by vested quarters. So, now we have decided to construct buildings or other types of establishments just after recovering any land on the riverbank which will prevent them from reoccupation," he added.
The government has fine-tuned the Hatirjheel-Begunbari canal, close to the city's posh Gulshan area, under a Tk 19.71 billion project.
The first-ever eye-catching beautification project of the city attracts local residents. Besides, people from countryside and foreign tourists frequently visit the site.
Rajuk (the city development authority) had already built an 8.8 kilometre (km) express road, 8 km service road, four 477.25 metre bridges, 8.8 km footpath, 9.8 km lakeside walkway, three 260 metre viaducts and several overpasses, intersections and roundabouts in the project area.
The project has been implemented on some 122.21 hectares of land whose work began in December 2008. It took nearly five years to complete the project. Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina inaugurated the project on January 2, 2013 as a "new year gift" to the people.
Alongside beautification, the project is being implemented to make traffic easier for the people living in Tejgaon, Gulshan, Badda, Rampura, Mouchak and Moghbazar areas.
syful-islam@outlook.com
Move to take up Hatirjheel-like project on Buriganga river bank
Syful Islam | Published: January 23, 2015 00:00:00 | Updated: November 30, 2024 06:01:00
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