River grabbers walk away with impunity
It is disconcerting to note that river and land grabbing is going on around Bangladesh right before the eyes of the administration, and the grabbers seem to care little for the existing court directives against such illegal practices. The unlawful occupiers often get emboldened when the local administration deliberately looks the other way. Such encroachment of riverbanks is narrowing down the width of important rivers, disrupting the water flow, and obstructing smooth plying of river vessels.
A story published in this daily on January 5 gives details of how some powerful quarters are filling up parts of two important rivers, the Meghna and the Fuldi in Munshiganj, to set up their factories and other structures. On May 6, 2019, Three Angle Marine Ltd, a local shipping company, was found responsible for grabbing parts of the two rivers. And the district administration, through a circular published in 2019, declared that the company had occupied 4.31 acres of low-lying lands and canals and almost one acre along the Fuldi and Meghna. It's all in paper, and yet, after two years, the same administration now says that the company has not grabbed any parts of those two rivers. Surprisingly, the administration discovered that the company is only responsible for grabbing some farmland.
Reportedly, the National River Conservation Commission (NRCC) has directed the administration to investigate the matter; accordingly, the Gazaria UNO submitted his report to the district's deputy commissioner (DC). But the report has more surprises to offer the aggrieved parties. It said the information given in the 2019 circular regarding river-grabbing by Three Angle Marine Ltd was "untrue." Though earlier investigations found evidence of grabbing around 34 acres of land, the latest report cleared the company of the accusation. It has been mentioned that the probe body talked to several villagers during the investigation.
Meanwhile, locals told this newspaper that they categorically mentioned that the company had occupied around 60 acres of land belonging to around 120 farmers, also grabbing a portion of the Meghna and Fuldi rivers. The company has also filled up two canals, Kumira and Borocharal, in the area. Interestingly, the Gazaria union parishad chair commented that the UNO probe report was faulty. They want an impartial investigation claiming that they heard of "underhanded dealings."
The entire episode smacks of corruption and backtracking by the district's highest authority in favour of some law violators. Instead of taking appropriate legal steps against the accused, they are allegedly working in the company's interest. Here one gets the message that those with power in the country can exert influence at the right places to have things done in their favour.
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