Bangladesh News

The ongoing eviction drive against encroachment on the rivers slows down due to manifold constraints and lack of proper coordination among the agencies concerned.

Though Gazipur district administration asked for 200 labourers every day, Bangladesh Inland Water Transport Authority (BIWTA) provides only 50 to 100.

The drive suffered on the very first day due to slack coordination and directions, said Assistant Commissioner (land) in Gazipur Atul Sarkar.

Experts call upon the agencies involved to sit together before embarking on further drives and seriously determine how to carry out the demolition, restoration and demarcation.

Abul Bashar Md Ameer Uddin, senior assistant commissioner, Gazipur, said, “The drive faltered as BIWTA could not mobilise its stronger tugboats to knock down illegal heavy structures.”

Heavy pieces of equipment are required to remove structures built with RCC construction, said Ameer, adding they now depend mainly on labourers.

Md Abul Bashar, BIWTA joint director, said as the drive slows down, it is costing additional resources and work hours.

Besides lack of resources, stay orders from the High Court also put a bar on the authorities concerned from demolishing a number of illegal structures.

Prof Mujibur Rahman of civil engineer department, Buet, said mere removal of superstructures would not help achieve the goal if the government works in an uncoordinated way and without a long-term vision.

“We have long been whirling in a vicious cycle of river encroachment and eviction,” he said. “The Buriganga has been a glaring example of failed eviction drives by successive governments against the grabbers.”

Demolition drives in the Buriganga cost the public exchequer crores of taka yielding nothing but further encroachment, Prof Mujibur said.

The filled-up part of the Turag is also not being recovered under the ongoing eviction drives.

Lack of magistracy power has been a potential obstacle to keeping the rivers free from grabbers, said BIWTA Director Mahabubul Alam.

“We could not touch one mosque and a temple on the list as it’s a sensitive issue,” said Saiful Islam.

Environmentalists say the survey of the rivers’ demarcation seems remarkably anomalous and it should be reviewed.

BIWTA Chairman Md Abdul Mannan Howlader said though they planned a three-day eviction drive to clear the Tongi part of the Turag, it took them longer and they would continue until the job is done.

“My latest plan is to hire a pontoon-mounted excavator in the next two or three days to remove filled-up earth from the Turag. I have already held talks with the minister in this regard,” he said

The BIWTA along with the district administration of Dhaka and Gazipur launched a three-day eviction drive in the Turag on June 3.

As many as 63 structures on the Gazipur end of the river and 69 on the Dhaka side have been built encroaching on the river. Five of the 63 and three out of 69 have obtained permanent HC stay on eviction.

The notable structures on both Dhaka and Gazipur banks that have been partially knocked down include the Merchants Dyeing Ltd, Hossain Dyeing, Bengal Indigo Textile Factory, Shajid Washing, Monjil Paribahan Ltd, Masjid market, Bata Market and Fish Market.

Most of the makeshift structures on the lists have been knocked down, inform BIWTA officials, adding the average expenditure for the drive per day is Tk 1 lakh including labour, transportation, fuel and others costs.

The drive continues today in Tongi.