DCs asked to evict river encroachers

The shipping ministry has asked the deputy commissioners across the country to operate mobile courts in the respective districts to free rivers from encroachers and illegal structures.
The directive was issued on March 4 to spread the ongoing drives against encroachments on rivers around Dhaka city to elsewhere across the country, shipping secretary Md Abdus Samad told New Age on Wednesday.
In four phases since January 31, the Bangladesh Inland Water Transport Authority demolished over 1,700 illegal structures on the Buriganga and Turag rivers.
Abdus Samad said that not only the rivers around Dhaka but also other rivers across the country needed to be freed from the grabbers.
Many deputy commissioners are, however, not aware about the directive while some described it as insufficient to demolish industries and heavy structures on the banks of rivers.
Chittagong deputy commissioner Mohammad Elius Hossain said that seasonal and petty encroachers could be evicted by mobile courts.
‘You need to follow strict and other procedures to evict illegal industries and market establishments on rivers like Karnaphuli,’ he noted.
Illegal encroachment on rivers across the country by the powerful quarters is so rampant that many high-powered committees are struggling to deal with unabated encroachment and pollution.
River pollution is taking heavy tolls on the county’s agriculture, said the shipping ministry directive signed by deputy secretary Anwarul Islam.
Rivers in Khulna is also facing encroachment.
Khulna deputy commissioner Md Helal Hossain said that a move taken earlier to recover 22 canals linked to the River Passur remained suspended after people showed documents claiming their ownership of the lands.
A committee was appointed to review the documents, he said, adding that the recovery drive would resume after the scrutiny.
Barishal deputy commissioner SM Ajior Rahman said that he was yet to see the directive. 
He said that they were already working on similar directives issued by the National River Conservation Commission and a task force under the local government ministry.
Unlike other districts, illegal encroachment on rivers in Barishal is limited in city areas, he said, adding that they were preparing a list of encroachers.
On February 4, river commission chairman asked the deputy commissioners to send a list of grabbers of rivers, canals and water bodies in the district concerned.
The commission also asked the deputy commissioners to display the list of grabbers on noticeboards in their offices and post it on their official website as directed by the High Court on February 3.
It asked the deputy commissioners to send time-bound action plans for dismantling all illegal structures on the rivers, canals and waterbodies by February 28.
Patuakhali deputy commissioner alone sent river grabbers’ list to the commission as none of the 63 other deputy commissioners complied with the commission directive.

News Courtesy: www.newagebd.net