Barisal Correspondent :
A leader of Bangladesh Chhatra League has been allegedly constructing stalls by grabbing portion of a live canal at Sagordi area in city.
After visiting the spot and talking with the local people it was learnt that construction of three stalls with about 200 square feet each going on full swing on Sagordi canal.
Suranjan Saha Babu alias Saha Babu, secretary of the Sagordi Kitchen Market committee, said Jasimuddin, city BCL president constructing the stalls to give rent or lease.
Local ward-23 Councilor Rijvi Chowdhury said four stalls of the
Sagordi kitchen market were on the bank of the canal and leased to Abdul Aziz Haoladar, Balai, Surjyapal and Hossain since 1975.
During the Mayorship of city AL president Shawkat Hossain Hiron, those stalls were demolished in the name of reconstruction and development of the market giving assurances to prefer old stall owners duringleasing again,
However, after completing the reconstruction and development works of that kitchen market, old owners of the stalls deprived from getting new lease of those.
Those stalls were leased to Kamal Pasha, brother in law of city president Jasimuddin and Abual Hossain Arun, Jubo League leader and extended areas of those stall to more twenty feet deep on the canal.
Then Jasimuddin started constructing more three stalls adjacent those four stalls grabbing the canal and already completed casting of concrete floor, locals informed.
Jasimuddin, the city BCL president, denying the allegation claimed owners of the leased stall constructing embankments to prevent erosion of the canal.
The local ward councilor said he informed the matter to BCC authourity.
Humayun Kabir, BCC executive engineer, told he informed the higher authority to issue notice to stop illegal construction and the notice was served on Sunday.
Rijvi Chowdhury, local ward councilor, acknowledging the fact of issuing notice by BCC told the employee of BCC was assaulted and drove away by the cadres of BCL leader when he came to serve the notice.
Already casting of floor near to be completed and roof would be constructed soon. In this situation giving notice without any rapid action could not prevent the grabbing, he added.
S M Sahzada, a canal and wetland recovery activist in the city, said Barisal town once called as ‘Venice of Bengal’ had nearly 600 pond and water bodies, more than 22 canals in pre-liberation period and 17 canals in post-liberation period in and around the city and Kirtankhola River was more than four kilometres wide in 50 years back.
