98pc placed inaccurately

Around 98 percent of the pillars demarcating the Turag river have been placed inaccurately, said Bangladesh Poribesh Andolon (Bapa) General Secretary Dr Mohammad Abdul Matin at a seminar yesterday.
“According to a 2009 HC directive, the pillars should have been erected after keeping at least 50 feet for the river embankment,” Matin told The Daily Star over the phone.
Instead, most of the pillars were set up 200 feet into the river, he added.
The width of the river on an average is 79,200 feet (15 miles), suggests a joint study of Mawlana Bhashani Science and Technology University and National Agricultural University.
Setting up demarcation pillars inaccurately also legitimises the acts of people who have already occupied land of the Turag river, added experts present at the seminar organised by Bapa in the capital's Dhaka Reporters Unity.
They expressed doubt over whether National River Protection Commission, the formation of which is currently under review in the ongoing parliament sessions, can prevent such illegal activities, fearing that their lack of statutory power of implementation will be a deterrent.
“It is also crucial to ensure that two-thirds of the personnel employed with the authority to prevent such acts are professionals specialised in water resource management,” they said. Bapa Co-Chairperson Prof M Firoz Ahmed, Joint Secretary Zakir Hossain and executive members columnist Syed Abdul Maksud and Prof Asif Nazrul were present at the seminar.