Drive to free riverbanks begins in March
Friday, 8 January 2010
A government drive to free four rivers surrounding Dhaka city from encroachment will begin in March, Shipping Minister Shajahan Khan said Thursday, reports bdnews24.com.
The government has constituted a sub-committee with the shipping minister as its convener to stop further river encroachment and remove illegal structures on the banks of four rivers, including the Buriganga.
"After the eviction of illegal occupants, the rivers and their banks will be demarcated setting up pillars," Khan told reporters after attending a meeting of the sub-committee.
"Some unauthorised structures built on and into the rivers have already been demolished following court orders. The space thus cleared will be planted with different species of trees from March," said the minister.
The environment and forest ministry will fund the implementation of the plantation programme.
He said the task force for reclamation had earmarked 13 of the 24 Dhaka canals that had been lost to freestyle encroachment by land grabbers.
Dhaka WASA has been asked to present the maps and designs of the canals in the next meeting of the sub-committee for taking necessary decision for recovery of the lost water bodies.
On continued dumping of waste and polythene bags in the Buriganga alongside the current cleaning of the riverbed, the minister said, "We're amending the environmental law to prohibit any further dumping of waste into the river. None of the law-breakers will be spared."
Sarah Begum Kabori and Sanjida Khanam are joint conveners of the committee while Chairman of the Bangladesh Inland Water Transport Authority (BIWTA) Abdul Malek Miah is the member-secretary and State Minister for Environment Hasan Mahmud and Shipping Secretary Abdul Mannan Khan are advisers.
Law Minister Shafique Ahmed, Water Resource Minister Ramesh Chandra Sen, Land Minister Rezaul Karim Heera, State Minister for Land Mostafizur Rahman and secretaries of concerned ministries were also present in the meeting.
The government has constituted a sub-committee with the shipping minister as its convener to stop further river encroachment and remove illegal structures on the banks of four rivers, including the Buriganga.
"After the eviction of illegal occupants, the rivers and their banks will be demarcated setting up pillars," Khan told reporters after attending a meeting of the sub-committee.
"Some unauthorised structures built on and into the rivers have already been demolished following court orders. The space thus cleared will be planted with different species of trees from March," said the minister.
The environment and forest ministry will fund the implementation of the plantation programme.
He said the task force for reclamation had earmarked 13 of the 24 Dhaka canals that had been lost to freestyle encroachment by land grabbers.
Dhaka WASA has been asked to present the maps and designs of the canals in the next meeting of the sub-committee for taking necessary decision for recovery of the lost water bodies.
On continued dumping of waste and polythene bags in the Buriganga alongside the current cleaning of the riverbed, the minister said, "We're amending the environmental law to prohibit any further dumping of waste into the river. None of the law-breakers will be spared."
Sarah Begum Kabori and Sanjida Khanam are joint conveners of the committee while Chairman of the Bangladesh Inland Water Transport Authority (BIWTA) Abdul Malek Miah is the member-secretary and State Minister for Environment Hasan Mahmud and Shipping Secretary Abdul Mannan Khan are advisers.
Law Minister Shafique Ahmed, Water Resource Minister Ramesh Chandra Sen, Land Minister Rezaul Karim Heera, State Minister for Land Mostafizur Rahman and secretaries of concerned ministries were also present in the meeting.