State Minister for Shipping Ministry Khalid Mahmud Chowdhury said the ongoing eviction drive should be more integrated with joint efforts from all government agencies to prevent the encroachers and stop pollution of rivers in and around the capital. The minister said this on Sunday while speaking at a meeting held at the Shipping Ministry.The minister said Bangladesh Inland Water Transport Authority (BIWTA), City Corporation, Water Development Board, Dhaka WASA, Directorate of Environment, Department of Shipping and District Administration would work jointly to prevent the encroachers and make the rivers and river banks pollution free.
Dhaka South City Corporation Mayor Mohammad Sayeed Khokon, Deputy Minister
for Water Resources Enamul Haque Shamim, Secretary of Shipping Ministry
Mohammad Abdus Samad, Chairman of National River Protection Commission Dr
Mujibur Rahman Howlader, Director General of Islamic Foundation Samim
Mohammad Afzal, BIWTA Chairman Commodore M Mozammel Haque, Director General of Shipping Department Commodore Syed Ariful Islam, Deputy Commissioner (DC) and representatives of various organisations were present at the meeting.The meeting was informed that the BIWTA set up some 9,577 border pillars in Dhaka, Narayanganj and Tongi river port areas to ensure that none can encroach the river banks.
Out of the total number of pillars, some 4,063 pillars were erected in Dhaka, 5,011 in Narayanganj and 503 border pillars in Tongi were established, according to the Shipping Ministry.
The meeting was also informed that a meeting of 46 religious organisations in Dhaka, Narayanganj and Tongi areas would be held soon under the leadership of mayor of Dhaka South City Corporation.
Speedy steps will be taken to fix 13 low-level bridges and reconstructions on the circular waterways around Dhaka.
BIWTA has already evicted 12,863 unauthorized constructions and 521.62 acres of barricades from river bank areas in Dhaka and Narayanganj river ports from January 2010 to March 26.
In the Kamrangirchar area under the Dhaka river port, some 1,199 illegal structures were evicted from January 29 to February 7, 2019 while nearly 10 acres of land was recovered.
