A festival of encroachment on rivers, canals and streams is underway in Khagrachari. Due to illegal encroachment by influential people, the city’s small and large natural canals are gradually narrowing. This has raised fears of severe flooding and waterlogging in the city during the upcoming monsoon season.
Various structures are being built in an unplanned manner by encroaching on rivers, canals and streams in Khagrachari. Photo: Soyo News
Various structures are being built in an unplanned manner by encroaching on rivers, canals and streams in Khagrachari. Photo: Soyo News
Lived Barua
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On Saturday (April 18), it was seen on the ground that various establishments, including residential houses, markets, and others, are being built in an unplanned manner by occupying the banks of the Khagrachari canal, Rangapani Chhatra, and Chengi river flowing through Khagrachari city. Although these canals and chhatras were once very wide, they are now losing their existence due to the occupation of influential people.
Locals said that 10-12 years ago, people used to bathe, fish, and even use speedboats in these canals. But now they are being filled up and various structures are being built. Paved structures are being built by private initiative in Milanpur (Chowdhuri Boarding and Salim Trade Center) of the city, Hotel Jiran area to the south and north of the Bazar Bridge, the area behind the Bazar Mosque, Khagrapur (behind the community center), the eastern part of the Khagrachari Canal in Masterpara, Islampur (west side of the bridge) and the northern part of Kalabagan (adjacent to the cantonment). This is destroying the natural balance and beauty and putting a large number of people’s homes at risk of collapse.
The Water Development Board (PAUBO) has filed charges against 12 individuals and organizations for encroaching on rivers, canals and streams in Khagrachari city. According to the PAUBO list, the illegal encroachers are: late freedom fighter Dost Mohammad Chowdhury, owner of Chowdhury Boarding, Nurul Alam, Saleh Ahmed of Hotel Noor, owner of Digital Diagnostic Center Abul Hashem, Madhusudan Dey of Grameenphone Center, Mohammad Selim of Selim Trade Center, Harun Rashid of Walton Showroom, Gazi Shahid of Gazi Hotel, Masonry Cooperative Society, Chittagong Hill Tracts Development Board, Babul Nag and Md. Nesar Uddin.
Paubo had requested the district administration to take necessary measures to remove the illegal structures. In view of this, the district administration ordered the illegal occupants to remove the structures, but the occupants sent a counter letter claiming their legal rights. Since then, the matter has remained at that point.
Nirmal Kanti Das, president of the Khagrachari district committee of Citizens for Good Governance (SUJON), said that the National River Protection Commission should conduct a site investigation and take legal action to prevent encroachment on canals and canals. He alleged that, “Some influential people have encroached on the canals on the western side of the city’s Milanpur Bridge and Khagrapur Bridge and have increased the area by constructing retaining walls (guide walls). After investigation, it was learned that the Khagrachari Engineering Branch of the Chittagong Hill Tracts Development Board has allocated a huge amount of money for the construction of these retaining walls.”
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He expressed anger over such a waste of public money without any approval from the Khagrachari Municipality.