Two bridges to be built over Norai River to link Aftabnagar, Banasree

Two bridges will be constructed over the 'Norai' River, also known as Banasree Canal, to make direct link between Aftabnagar and Banasree, Dhaka North City Corporation (DNCC) Administrator Mohammad Azaz said on Saturday.

He made the announcement while addressing as the chief guest a cleaning and tree planting campaign on the bank of the river, organised by Samamana Parishad, Banasree with support from the DNCC.

He said there is no alternative but to use the main road to move between the two close neighbourhoods resulting in huge expenses and consuming time for the local residents. He also said the bridges will be named 'Norai Shetu'.

"The canal we identify as Banasree canal today was a flowing river in the decade of eighties," he said, adding that it has been downgraded to a canal preventing its flow through illegal encroachment.

The Water Development Board has already listed the waterbody as the 'Norai' River again following the efforts of DNCC.

He also said if the river is recovered again it could help create possibilities of water transportation from Rampura to different destinations including Sadarghat and Mirpur through the Shitalakhya, Dhwaleshwari and Balu rivers.

The event was presided over by Md Shahbuddin Sikder, president of Samamana Parishad, Banasree.

As part of the programme, a cleanliness drive was conducted in the Khalpar area of Banasree starting from Nanjing Community Center and various species of trees were planted.

Local residents, volunteer groups and the cleanliness department of DNCC actively participated in this activity.

saif.febd@gmail.com