Greens slam govt for failing to save Buriganga

Green activists said on Saturday they would not accept minister’s comment that the government in many cases was helpless in evicting the grabbers of the River Buriganga.
‘If the government can evict the slum dwellers without any notice, why cannot they evict the grabbers? We never expect such helpless comment from a minister,’ said Sultana Kamal, vice-president of Bangladesh Paribesh Andolan in a programme held at National Press Club in the capital.
Bangladesh Paribesh Andolan and Buriganga River Keepers jointly organised the discussion on how to protect the Old Buriganga River which is now almost dead for encroachment and pollution.
Formerly, at the same programme shipping minister Shahjahan Khan expressed government’s helplessness to evict illegal religious structures on the encroached lands of the river.
He pointing out that land grabbers often built religious structures such as mosques as shield to protect the encroached lands.
Reacting to the minister’s comment, Sultana Kamal, who chaired the discussion, said such helplessness of a powerful minister like Shahjahan was unacceptable.
Additional chief engineer of Bangladesh Inland Water Transport Authority Rakibul Islam Talukder said the government was planning to protect the river as they had built Hatirjhil as a beautiful place.
Protesting at his speech, the green activists said they would not like to see a lake in the place of the River Buriganga.
Engineer Mobasher Hossain said some greedy men using the name of the father of the nation and the government grabbed the river and added that they should be punished.
Bangladesh Environmental Lawyers Association’s chief executive Syeda Rizwana Hasan said if the government had been serious about protecting the river, the situation would not have been such worse.
Among others, Sharif Jamil, Syed Abul Maksud and others spoke.

News Courtesy: www.newagebd.net