Relocating Foothill Dwellers
Most utility services remain at end of deadline today
Hundreds of people on many risky hillsides in Chittagong continue to have access to utility services at the end of a seven-day deadline today to cut power, gas and water supplies to discourage habitation there.
The directive had come from the divisional Hill Management Committee (HMC), formed in 2007 following a devastating landslide that left 127 people dead on June 11, at a meeting in Chittagong Circuit House on July 2.
Chittagong Water Supply and Sewerage Authority (Cwasa), Karnaphuli Gas Distribution Company Limited (KGDCL), and Power Development Board (PDB) had disconnected some lines during the timeframe, beginning July 3.
But spot visits by this correspondent in many of the risky areas, including Batali and AK Khan hills and Tigerpass, Lalkhan Bazar, Ambagan, Biswa Colony and Chattaswari road areas confirmed that the utility services were still intact.
Cwasa Magistrate Quazi Mohammad Hasan said they disconnected around 600 water supply lines at Motijharna, Firoz Shah Colony and Akbar Shah areas.
“Only five among some 100 water supply lines at Motijharna area were found to be legal. Some technicians had used plastic pipes to draw water from Cwasa's main supply pipes to the slums.
“A powerful gang of goons under a local councillor are reconnecting the lines at Motijharna area,” he said.
Hasan said they could not disconnect the supplies in many areas as some non-government organisations have helped to connect the lines to the slums with permission from a certain ministry.
PDB officials said they had disconnected only 45 power supply lines at Motijharna, Bangla Bazar, Akbar Shah and Firoz Shah Colony areas.
PDB Chief Engineer Raisuddin Sarkar said they would no longer supply power to residents of risky slopes and continue disconnecting the lines.
Meanwhile, KGDCL officials said they had disconnected six lines at Firoz Shah Colony and Akbar Shah Colony.
A local of Motijharna at Lal Khan Bazar, Abu Musa, said, “Many house owners rent houses out to poor people and are reconnecting water and power lines in the houses with the help of local goons.”
“It seems to me the utility service providers are not coming forward with all their logistic support,” said Department of Environment, Chittagong Director Jafor Alam.
HMC Member Secretary Ismail Hossain said, “The drives would continue to evacuate the people this monsoon.”
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