Barisal Correspondent :
High Court issued rule-nishi to save historical Lakutia Khal , also known as Rayer Khal from the encroachers on Sunday.
The division bench consisted with Justice Zinat Ara and Justice J. N. Deb Chowdhury also ordered the defendants to reply the rule within next four weeks and submit a list of occupants and report about present condition of the canal within next six-weeks.
Lincoln Bayen, Barisal District Coordinator of Bangladesh Environment Lawyers Association, giving the facts said the rule-nishi was issued after a writ petition was filed by BELA for saving Lakutia Khal and Adv Minhazul Huq Chowdhury moved the petition on behalf of the plaintiff on Sunday.
Secretaries of land, environment and forest, water resources, local government rural development and cooperative ministries, chairman national river saving commission, director generals of environment directorate, water development board, chief engineer of local government engineering department, Deputy Commissioner Barisal, Director Environment Directorate Barisal, upazila nirbahi officer Barisal Sadar, assistant commissioner land of upazila land office Barisal were named as defendants in the writ petition.
The six kilometres long Rayer Khal was excavated from Lakutia Zamindar Bari in mid-British period and joined with Jail Khal in Natun Bazar area of the city connecting Kirtankhola River with Sugandha and Taltali Rivers.
Local people and environment activists since long days continuing movement to save the canal from the hands of grabbers, encroachers, waste-dumpers and flow-blockers to prevent filling of water bodies, pollution of environment and saving the nature in the name of different types of public and private ‘development’ works, BELA official said.
BELA official 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.
But rampant filling of the water bodies caused decreasing existences of those to four canals, only 40 ponds in around of 45 square kilometres areas of Barisal city and width of Kirtankhola River have been limited to less than one kilometer making those water bodies rapidly dying.
Inactiveness of environment and local government authorities, unplanned and inoperative sluice gates, creating small cross-dams, bridges, culverts on the canal, psciculture, grabbing for construction of houses, shops almost made the water bodies like Rayer Khal in to narrow sewerage drains, they said.
High Court issued rule-nishi to save historical Lakutia Khal , also known as Rayer Khal from the encroachers on Sunday.
The division bench consisted with Justice Zinat Ara and Justice J. N. Deb Chowdhury also ordered the defendants to reply the rule within next four weeks and submit a list of occupants and report about present condition of the canal within next six-weeks.
Lincoln Bayen, Barisal District Coordinator of Bangladesh Environment Lawyers Association, giving the facts said the rule-nishi was issued after a writ petition was filed by BELA for saving Lakutia Khal and Adv Minhazul Huq Chowdhury moved the petition on behalf of the plaintiff on Sunday.
Secretaries of land, environment and forest, water resources, local government rural development and cooperative ministries, chairman national river saving commission, director generals of environment directorate, water development board, chief engineer of local government engineering department, Deputy Commissioner Barisal, Director Environment Directorate Barisal, upazila nirbahi officer Barisal Sadar, assistant commissioner land of upazila land office Barisal were named as defendants in the writ petition.
The six kilometres long Rayer Khal was excavated from Lakutia Zamindar Bari in mid-British period and joined with Jail Khal in Natun Bazar area of the city connecting Kirtankhola River with Sugandha and Taltali Rivers.
Local people and environment activists since long days continuing movement to save the canal from the hands of grabbers, encroachers, waste-dumpers and flow-blockers to prevent filling of water bodies, pollution of environment and saving the nature in the name of different types of public and private ‘development’ works, BELA official said.
BELA official 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.
But rampant filling of the water bodies caused decreasing existences of those to four canals, only 40 ponds in around of 45 square kilometres areas of Barisal city and width of Kirtankhola River have been limited to less than one kilometer making those water bodies rapidly dying.
Inactiveness of environment and local government authorities, unplanned and inoperative sluice gates, creating small cross-dams, bridges, culverts on the canal, psciculture, grabbing for construction of houses, shops almost made the water bodies like Rayer Khal in to narrow sewerage drains, they said.
