Turag, Shitalakkhya Rivers
Writ filed to evict sand traders
A rights organisation yesterday filed a writ petition with the High Court, seeking its directives on the government to stop sand traders' businesses and evict them from separate areas of the rivers Turag and Shitalakkhya within three days to save those areas from encroachments.
Human Rights and Peace for Bangladesh (HRPB) submitted the petition following a photo published in The Daily Star on October 2 showing the river Turag occupied by sand traders and a report published in the daily Prothom Alo on August 31 on encroachment of Shitalakkhya river at Kanchpur in Narayanganj.
According to The Daily Star, sand traders ignored pillars marking edge of the river Turag at Mirpur's Shinnirtek and occupied a large portion of the river for their business.
HRPB President Advocate Manzill Murshid yesterday moved the petition praying to the HC to direct Bangladesh Inland Water Transport Authority (BIWTA) to remove the sand from the bank of Turag at Shinnirtek and from the bank of Shitalakkhya in Kanchpur in 15 days.
The petitioner also urged the court to order the government to provide BIWTA with sufficient police force for evicting traders and removing sands from the river banks, and to take necessary measures to save those.
The HC bench of Justice Naima Haider and Justice Muhammad Khurshid Alam Sarkar yesterday held hearing on the petition and fixed today for passing an order on it.
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