Protector turns predator
Jessore municipality out to fill up Laldighi
Laldighi, a large pond dug up in Jessore town around 150 years ago, is getting smaller as dumping of garbage on and leasing of land of its banks continue while municipality authorities have decided to fill it up for construction of a market, ignoring the opinion of town residents. Photo: STAR
Jessore municipality authorities now seem adamant to fill up Laldighi for constructing a market there, ignoring the residents' demand for saving the important water body in the heart of the town. Several political, social and cultural organisations including Workers Party, NAP, Gono Forum, Sammilita Sangskritik Jote and Sangbadpatra Parishad formed human chains on a few occasions protesting the move to fill up Laldighi. On Monday, they submitted a memorandum to local government ministry through the deputy commissioner with signatures of seven thousand people to save the water body. The town dwellers have continued programmes under the banner of Civil Society of Jessore for the purpose. But the municipality authorities are squeezing the water body by putting wastage into the water body and renting lands on its bank to make shops, Ekram-ud-Daula, the president of Jessore Sangbadpatra Parishad, said. "Laldighi, located in the heart of the town, is very important for the area. Other water bodies belonging to private owners have already been filled up. So there is no other alternative to collect water if any fire incident occurs in the adjacent areas," said Iqbal Kabir Zahid, secretary of district Workers Party. Jessore municipality Councillor Muksimul Bari Apu, also a panel mayor, said it is an old decision of the municipality to fill up Laldighi. If a market is constructed at that place, 80 percent of the salary of their staff could be paid from its rent, he added. Earlier in 1984, the Jessore municipality authorities had taken a move to fill up Laldighi but they changed the decision in the face of strong protests from town dwellers. In 1864, authorities under the then British government arranged digging several water bodies including Laldighi in Jessore town to meet people's need for water.
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