RIVER ENCROACHMENT Body formed to relocate religious establishments

An inter-ministerial committee was formed on Wednesday to prepare a report on relocation of 113 religious establishments and educational institution developed illegally grabbing rivers around Dhaka.

The committee, headed by the chief engineer of Bangladesh Inland Water Transport Authority, will prepare the report visiting all the mosques, temples, schools and madrassahs developed illegally encroaching land of the Buriganga, Turag, Balu, Shitalakkhya and Dhaleswari, shipping ministry additional secretary Anal Chandra Das said.

He said that the committee was formed in an inter-ministry meeting held at the shipping ministry on Wednesday where representatives of shipping ministry, religious affairs ministry, local government ministry and city corporations were present.  

‘The next step for the relocation will be taken after getting the committee report,’ Anal said. 

The ministry had earlier formed a similar committee headed by Dhaka South City Corporation mayor Sayeed Khokon in June, 2019 to create public opinion in favour of relocating the illegal religious establishments with the target to develop a circular road on the banks of the rivers flowing around the capital.

The committee, however, did not function as per the mandate, the ministry officials said.

The shipping ministry officials at Wednesday’s meeting said that there were  77 mosques, madrassahs, orphanages and shrines illegally developed on the rivers.

Five graveyards and establishments for washing the dead bodies had also been developed illegally on the rivers, the officials said.

An Eidgah, 14 schools and colleges, 13 temples and cremation grounds, and three other establishments including an electricity sub-station and a hospital had been developed illegally on the rivers.

State minister for shipping Khalid Mahmud Chowdhury at the meeting said that the government had no intention to evict the religious establishments developed illegally grabbing the rivers.

‘We will relocate those to nearby khas lands and develop those with more beautiful structures to attract the locals and foreigners,’ the state minister said.

‘Dhaka is famous as the city of mosques, and we will enrich its rich heritage through the relocation programme,’ he added.

Shipping secretary Md Abdus Samad said that the deputy commissioners of Dhaka, Gazipur and Narayanganj were assigned to provide alternative plots.

He said that the move came for making the rivers free of encroachments in compliance with the High Court Division’s February 4 order declaring the rivers as living entities.

In January, Bangladesh Inland Water Transport Authority submitted a list of the mosques with madrassahs and the temples to the shipping ministry while demolishing over 5,000

illegal structures developed encroaching on the Buriganga, Turag, Balu and Sitalakkhya.

The agency was installing demarcation pillars on the river banks as part of its proposed Tk 2,430 crore revised beautification project for keeping Dhaka’s four rivers protected from the grabbers.

News Courtesy: www.newagebd.net