BIWTA used PM's name to save river-grabbing

The High Court yesterday rejected Bangladesh Inland Water Transport Authority's petition for directives not to demolish the commercial establishments it had permitted to be set up on the four rivers around the capital.
The same day the government taskforce on river directed the authorities concerned to evict all illegal structures on five city canals.
In its petition, BIWTA had used the name of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, a fervent supporter of save-river campaign, to get the court order in its favour, said Manzill Murshid, a lawyer and green activist.
He told The Daily Star the BIWTA chairman filed the petition with the HC in July this year.
Though he said he had filed the petition on instructions from the prime minister, he did not submit any document in favour of his claim, added the lawyer.
Yesterday's HC order means there is no bar to demolishing the structures including the jetties set up by some private commercial companies on the four rivers--Buriganga, Shitalakkhya, Turag and Balu, observed Murshid.
On June 25 last year, the HC ruled that the authorities must determine the exact boundaries of the four rivers through surveys by November 30 this year and designate the rivers as "Ecologically Critical Areas" to facilitate demarcation.
The court also asked the government to evict all structures on the rivers except those set up by the government in public interest.
Manzill Murshid had moved the writ petition.
The HC in its order yesterday said the BIWTA petition was not acceptable in the light of the Supreme Court's May 3 order dismissing appeals by seven companies.
The seven firms--City Group of Industries, Heidelberg Cement Bangladesh Ltd, Kamal Vegetable, Akij Cement, ACI Cement, Cimex Cement and Molla Salt Industries--had filed the appeals to contest the HC verdict directing the government to remove the structures.
They had also prayed to the top court to direct the authorities not to demolish their structures, as those were established on permission from BIWTA.
The bench of Justice Syed Mahmud Hossain and Justice Gobinda Chandra Tagore passed the order after hearing the petition.
Ajmalul Hossain appeared for BIWTA.
CANAL DRIVE
Dhaka Water Supply and Sewerage Authority (Wasa) will launch a drive within three weeks against encroachment on five of 26 canals criss-crossing the capital.
Shipping Minister Shahjahan Khan said this while briefing reporters at his ministry after the 8th meeting of the Government Taskforce on River.
The minister said the taskforce also decided to launch passenger-carrying waterbus service by this month to ease the city's traffic congestion.
The project will be implemented once all 13 lower bridges are knocked down and rebuilt.
Initially, two waterbuses will ply the water route from Aminbazar to Sadarghat, he added.
BURIGANGA DRIVE
The authorities yesterday demolished two buildings and a number of makeshift structures at Aliganj in Fatullah to free Buriganga from grabbers.
A one-story warehouse of Nizam Salt factory and a 120-foot long boundary wall were among the structures pulled down, said BIWTA Deputy Director Shahidullah.
A joint team of BIWTA and Dhaka district administration conducted the drive in pursuance of the HC directives for river demarcation and eviction of the encroachers.