Objection from BSF
Construction of Teesta channel dyke stalled
Work on the construction of a flood control embankment on a newly emerged channel of the Teesta River at Char Kharibari village in Dimla upazila of Nilphamari district started on Monday; but the work inside Bangladesh territory had to be stopped shortly afterwards in the face of serious objection by the Indian Border Security Force.Photo: STAR
Construction of a flood control embankment on a newly emerged channel of the Teesta River inside Bangladesh territory of Dimla upazila near Indian border has been suspended due to objection from the Indian Border Security Force (BSF). The embankment is seen as crucial for saving from flooding and erosion several thousand hectares of croplands and homesteads in Dimla upazila of Nilphamari and Hatibandha upazila of Lalmonirhat district in the coming rainy season. At a flag meeting held at Char Kharibari village of Tepa Kharibari union of Dimla upazila near the construction site on Monday morning BSF asked BGB to take step to stop the construction, claiming that the embankment was being constructed on 'no man's land', said Nayeb Subedar Md Mohsin, commander of Char Kharibari border operational post (BOP) under 7 BGB Battalion. "Then in presence of BSF, the BGB team arranged a practical survey that showed the site was inside Bangladesh territory, not on no man's land. But BSF men asked BGB to stop the work for three days, saying that they needed to discuss the matter with their higher authorities. Consequently, the work stopped after the flag meeting," he added. Earlier on April 17, at a sector commander level flag meeting held at local Thengjhara Habibur Rahman High School premises, BSF assured their Bangladesh counterpart of cooperation regarding construction of the embankment, said BGB and local sources. “Following the assurance, the union parishad took decision to start construction of the protection embankment on the channel under food for work programme. But as soon as the work started on May 5, BSF men in three vehicles reached near border pillar No 798 and put objection to the work, claiming that it was being done on no man's land,” said Rabiul Islam Shaheen, chairman of concerned Tepa Kharibari union parishad. “Later BGB and BSF men jointly marked a point to start the work and we started the work accordingly. But BSF again put their objection on Monday's flag meeting, resulting in stoppage of the work," he said. The earthen protection embankment was supposed to be 1300 feet long, 15 feet wide and 4 feet high. Saiful Islam, UP member of ward No-1 comprising Char Kharibari village, informed that in order to control flood and river erosion caused by Teesta River, India built an embankment at its Andaram Kuchlibari village of Cooch Behar district very close to the border opposite to Char Kharibari village a few years ago. Consequently, erosion by river inside Bangladesh accelerated and a new channel developed at Char Kharibari village. In the rainy season last year, the new channel got about 150 feet wide and four feet deep and proceeded about 10 kilometres through 5-6 villages of Dimla and Hatibandha upazilas. It caused massive erosion and damaged crops on thousands of hectares of land. If the newly emerged channel of the Teesta cannot be controlled immediately, it might turn into the main course of the river, making the existing Teesta barrage ineffective, said Moinuddin Mondal, sub divisional engineer of Bangladesh Water Development Board (BWDB) in Dalia Division. “BWDB has prepared a Tk 10.5 crore project for river protection work through controlling the new channel and sent it to the higher authorities for approval. But the project seems uncertain due to frequent objection by BSF. Meanwhile, the local union parishad initiated the work for constructing the earthen embankment under food for work programme as a temporary measure," he said.
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