Birds eye view of the Karnaphuli River. The government will formulate a master plan to prevent pollution and improve the navigation of four of the country's rivers including the heavily-polluted Karnaphuli in Chittagong. -AA
Even after one year of a High Court directive to evict 2,181 illegal establishments on the bank of river Karnaphuli, the illegal establishments are yet to be evicted. The authorities including the Chittagong District Administration and Chittagong Port Authority (CPA) are yet to take action against the owners of those illegal establishments and land grabbers on the both banks of the River Karnaphuli.
According to the sources, a High Court bench comprising Justice Mohammed Rejaul Hasan and Justice Kshefa Hossain on August 16 in 2016 directed the authorities concerned to evict 2,181 illegal establishments on the bank of the River Karnaphuli. The High Court bench did also give directive to issue notice to the concerned persons by giving 90 days time from the receiving the direction of the high court.
Sources said, the HC bench directed Secretary of Chittagong Development Authority, Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Chittagong City Corporation (CCC) and Deputy Commissioner (DC) of Chittagong to publish notice on news papers and issue notice to the concerned to the concerned persons to shift the illegal establishments and after receiving the direction of high court within 90 days.
If the concerned persons or owners of the said 2,181 illegal establishments on the bank of river Karnaphuli would fail to shift their establishment within the notice period, the HC bench said, the government authorities would have to evict the illegal establishments within seven days of the notice period.
Sources said Human Rights and Peace for Bangladesh filed a writ petition before the High Court in 2010. The High Court heard the petition and directed the Deputy Commissioner to make a list of illegal establishments on the bank of the River Karnaphuli on July 18 that year. Following the directives of the HC, the district administration of Chittagong submitted a list of 2,181 illegal establishments on June 9, 2015.
After hearing on the submitted list, the HC bench gave directives in this regard, sources said. According to the sources, both banks of the Karnaphuli, the lifeline of country's economy, are being illegally occupied by land grabbers. The government authorities concerned are taking steps to save the river area from land grabbers in recent times.
Recently, in a meeting of Chittagong Port authority, Shipping Minister Shahjahan Khan MP said that according to the directives of the High Court, the areas of the rivers of the country will be demarcated as per CS survey. The government will demarcate the rivers to save them from illegal occupiers.
Meanwhile, Chittagong district administration, Chittagong Port Authority and land department have completed the survey of actual area of the River Karnaphuli. After the survey, the actual area of river Karnaphuli cannot be demarcated. So, the eviction drive against the illegal establishments on the both banks of Karnaphuli and silted areas cannot be started, concerned sources said.
Locals living by the Karnaphuli alleged that influential quarters occupied the lands on both sides of the river illegally. Nobody could open their mouth against them as the occupiers were politically influential and belonged to both ruling Awami League and opposition BNP, the locals alleged.
Meanwhile, former Mayor of Chittagong and President of Chittagong City Awami League Alhaj ABM Mohiuddin Chowdhury visited the Karnaphuli River bank areas and found out the incidents of filling up the Karnaphuli river areas and constructing some buildings at the river area.
ABM Mohiuddin Chowdhury alleged that vested and corrupted quarters occupied around 200 to 250 meters of river areas and filled up the said areas with earth and constructed buildings there. Engineer Mosharraf Hossain, Minister of Housing and Settlement said the concerned authorities of the government should take steps to save the river area from the land grabbers.
The Director General of the Department of Environment Rois Ul Alam said, "133 industries are situated on the banks of the River Karnaphuli. The said industries are rampantly discharging industrial wastes into the water of the Karnaphuli, polluting the water of the river severely."
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