Recommendations grossly ignored

National River Conservation Commission’s out of 300 recommendations eviction of the encroachments on rivers and controlling pollution only two were partially implemented by government agencies.
The non-compliant agencies include district administrations, BIWTA, the Water Development Board, the Department of Environment and at least a dozen other agencies of the government. 
Since inception in August 2014, the National River Conservation Commission made over 300 recommendations for the restoration of rivers and the connected canals flowing through 49 districts to these government agencies. 
Only two recommendations relating to restoration of the Boral River by evicting encroachers in Pabna, Natore and Rjshahi and restoring the Dhwaleswari river by evicting encroachers from Savar to Manikganj were partially implemented by the concerned DCs, National River Conservation Commission chairmen Muzibur Rahman Howlader told New Age.
He said that though the National River Conservation Act 2013 mandated the commission to protect rivers from encroachment and pollution but the law did not empower it to implement the law or take action against officials not complying with its recommendations.
‘We only can request the concerned agencies to take action in line with our recommendations, but can do nothing for ignoring our recommendations,’ said Muzib.
He said he had to write 70 letters in three months to the DC of Manikganj to sensitize him to stop construction of Manikganj Power Plant and Northern Power Plant encroaching upon the Dhwaleswari River.
He said despite the river commission’s recommendations, government agencies did not remove encroachers from the Padma, Meghna, Brahmaputra, Gomoti, Buriganga, Shitalalkkhya, Surma, Karnaphuli, Halda and the other major rivers nor did they take any action against the polluters.
Environmentalists criticized the government for not empowering the river commission and not providing the manpower it needs to function as the core authority to protect rivers from encroachment and pollution as the High Court Division had directed the government on June 6, 2009.
Bangladesh Environmental Lawyers’ Association executive director Syeda Rizwana Hasan said that the government did not deliberately empower the river conservation commission to provide advantage to the powerful quarters encroaching upon and polluting the rivers. 
‘Rather, the government generated further complications by creating a task force, with executive powers, headed by a political leader,’ she said. 
The High Court Division’s order to evict encroachments on the rivers was not carried out within the stipulated five years ending in 2014, she said. 
Therefore, the government cannot avoid the responsibility of not following the order of the HC, she said. 
Transparency International Bangladesh executive director Iftekharuzzaman said the encroachers were an integral part of the power structure. ‘They get benefits when the watchdogs do not work properly. I don’t think the government had any intention to solve the problems,’ he said. 
Bangladesh Paribesh Andolon joint secretary Sharif Jamil said that no visible sign was around that the court’s directives were carried by 17 agencies of 11 ministries to protect the rivers from pollution and encroachment.
Asked about the DCs inaction to evict encroachers as recommended by the river commission, cabinet secretary Mohammad Shafiul Alam said he would convene a meeting with all concerned ‘to know the facts.’ 
BIWTA chairman commodore Mohammad Mozammel Haque admitted that in last June he received only one instruction from the river commission to evict illegal dockyards set up encroaching upon the Dhaleswari River near the Mirkadim Port in Munshiganj.
‘We took no action as the Munshiganj district administration told us that these dockyards were set up on privately owned land,’ Mozammel said.
Munshiganj DC Shayla Farzana said she would investigate into the matter. 
‘If the site is within the port’s periphery then BIWTA should evict the dockyards,’ she said.
Muzibur Rahman Howlader said he would present all the reports of the river commission to the prime minister in February for laying them in Parliament.
‘We will also request to amend the National River Conservation Act to empower the river commission for protecting rivers,’ he said.

News Courtesy: www.newagebd.net