Eviction drive on river banks likely to demolish lawful jetties: FBCCI
Monday, 19 April 2010
FE Report
The country's apex business body expressed concern over the ongoing drive against illegal occupants of the river banks around the capital, saying several lawfully-constructed private jetties could fall prey to such eviction.
Worries of The Federation of Bangladesh Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FBCCI) came as deputy commissioners of Dhaka, Narayanganj and Gazipur recently decided to pull down 54 jetties of 32 private companies as part of the government's move to save the rivers Buriganga, Shitalakkhya, Balu and Turag from illegal occupation.
"We're not against the drive. We want the structures illegally constructed on the bank of the rivers be pulled down immediately.
But the drive should not destroy anything built legally," FBCCI president Annisul Huq told reporters at a press conference at a city hotel Sunday.
The FBCCI president said the private companies constructed those jetties after receiving permission from Bangladesh Inland Water Transport Authority (BIWTA) to load or unload shipped goods.
"If those jetties are removed the industrialists will suffer and incur massive losses, which will not be good for the country's economy," he said.
According to the FBCCI statistics, more than 22.0 million tonnes of commodities or food grains were received by Chittagong port in 2009 in its 11 out of 20 jetties.
"Some 70 per cent of the total imported goods are unloaded by the privately owned jetties," Mr. Huq said.
The FBCCI president said the High Court in its judgment ordered the authorities to evict illegal structures constructed on the banks of the four rivers. But the verdict summary stated that all the structures should be removed by December 31 this year. "In the summary the word 'illegal' was missing that is causing the confusion."
He said the deputy commissioners did not read the judgment properly given by the High Court as it ordered the authorities to evict the structures illegally built on the banks of the rivers.
The country's apex business body expressed concern over the ongoing drive against illegal occupants of the river banks around the capital, saying several lawfully-constructed private jetties could fall prey to such eviction.
Worries of The Federation of Bangladesh Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FBCCI) came as deputy commissioners of Dhaka, Narayanganj and Gazipur recently decided to pull down 54 jetties of 32 private companies as part of the government's move to save the rivers Buriganga, Shitalakkhya, Balu and Turag from illegal occupation.
"We're not against the drive. We want the structures illegally constructed on the bank of the rivers be pulled down immediately.
But the drive should not destroy anything built legally," FBCCI president Annisul Huq told reporters at a press conference at a city hotel Sunday.
The FBCCI president said the private companies constructed those jetties after receiving permission from Bangladesh Inland Water Transport Authority (BIWTA) to load or unload shipped goods.
"If those jetties are removed the industrialists will suffer and incur massive losses, which will not be good for the country's economy," he said.
According to the FBCCI statistics, more than 22.0 million tonnes of commodities or food grains were received by Chittagong port in 2009 in its 11 out of 20 jetties.
"Some 70 per cent of the total imported goods are unloaded by the privately owned jetties," Mr. Huq said.
The FBCCI president said the High Court in its judgment ordered the authorities to evict illegal structures constructed on the banks of the four rivers. But the verdict summary stated that all the structures should be removed by December 31 this year. "In the summary the word 'illegal' was missing that is causing the confusion."
He said the deputy commissioners did not read the judgment properly given by the High Court as it ordered the authorities to evict the structures illegally built on the banks of the rivers.