Rally demands lease cancellation of riverbanks around Dhaka

Protesters at a human chain programme demanded government action against the top officials of the Bangladesh Inland Water Transport Authority (BIWTA) for leasing out banks of different rivers around Dhaka city. A number of social right organisations organised the human chain and rally Friday in front of the National Press Club. The protesters alleged that the BIWTA has leased out the riverbanks and foreshore of different rivers around Dhaka city including the Buriganga, Shitalakhya, Turag and Balu, defying a High Court verdict and the decision of inter-ministerial taskforce on rivers, according to a news agency.