Grabbing of Shitalakhya
Foreshore's width at Kanchpur point to be surveyed
Special Correspondent
Bangladesh Inland Water Transport Authority (BIWTA) is to survey a one- kilometre stretch of the river Shitalakhya at Kanchpur point to demarcate the exact width of its foreshore, part of which has been allegedly grabbed by the local ruling BNP lawmaker. The directive for this came from a meeting of the inter-ministerial task fForce held at the Ministry of Shipping yesterday. The BIWTA has to complete the survey within two weeks. Ministers and top officials of at least 10 ministries, environmentalists and the lawmaker, Mohammad Gias Uddin, were present at the meeting chaired by Shipping Minitster Akbar Hossain. Members of the task will visit the site after the survey is completed and then decide how to free the area from encroachments, mainly by stone and brick traders. Gias Uddin said at the meeting people of his area do not know the actual width of the river. It is quite normal that they use public land lying vacant for long to create employment opportunities. Rivers are dying due to natural causes, and not due to encroachments, he claimed. "But I can assure you of all cooperation in saving the river. I own about 1.75 acres of land by the river, and if it comes to giving up the land for the sake of the country, I shall happily do it," the legislator told the meeting. BIWTA Secretary Syed Monwar Hussain said the Port Act, 1905, clearly defines the 'sub-soil between the high water mark and the low water mark' of the river. The high water mark is the foreshore of the river. According to law, 50 yards from the foreshore into the land should remain free of encroachments. A joint survey, conducted in 1960 by the BIWTA and Dhaka district administration, demarcated the foreshore in the area and handed it over to the BIWTA for safeguarding it. Akbar Hossain said if necessary, the government would initiate moves to acquire land along the rivers. The deputy commissioner (DC) of Narayanganj said steps must be taken to plant trees on the lands already recovered by the authorities. The law ministry representative suggested that to save all the rivers in the country, the DCs of all districts should be made accountable. Minister for Public Works and Housing Mirza Abbas pointed out that the river Turag at Amin Bazaar is narrowing down rapidly. Sand traders are slowly grabbing the river, he said. The BIWTA was directed to look into this and report back to the task force as soon as possible.
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