Drive fails to touch influentials

The drive to recover the Louhajang river in Tangail is going on, but the influential grabbers are allegedly remaining out of reach.

Around 100 illegal structures have been removed from the river, but some structures, including concrete buildings, belonging to influential people were not removed, locals alleged.

After getting direction from Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, Tangail district administration started a drive on November 29 to free the river from illegal occupation.

The district administration involved people from all walks of life of the district in the initiative and publicised the drive through social, print and electronic media for drumming up support for it.

Local environmentalists said the river, a lifeline for town dwellers, is almost dead due to mindless grabbing and many influential grabbers have made fake documents for strengthening their occupation.  

Though the illegal structures of the poor people were removed during the drive in the last few days, the illegal structures of the influential grabbers, however, were not removed, they alleged.

The illegal encroachment will get legality and the river will turn into a narrow canal if the structures of the influential people are not removed, they added.

Deputy Commissioner (DC) of Tangail Mahbub Hossain, while briefing local journalists about the progress of the drive yesterday, said they were removing the illegal structures on the river following the records.

The DC said the alleged grabbers showed documents confirming their possession of the structures and the authorities were checking those carefully. 

"All illegal structures will be removed from the river gradually," he added.

The administration was initially working to free the 2-kilometre area of the river from Beradoma to Hazraghat under the municipal area, said Assistant Commissioner (land) in Tangail Sadar upazila Sanwarul Haque.

They also planned to dredge the river to revive its flow and construct walkways and a children's park on the freed banks, Sanwarul added.

Originating from Dhaleswari river in Baisnabbari area in Tangail Sadar upazila, the 76-kilometre-long river flows through the district town and falls into the Bangshai river at Jamurki area in Mirzapur upazila of the district.