RANGPUR, Dec 5, 2019 (BSS) – A high-powered committee at a meeting have decided to evict all 170 identified illegal occupants of the Shyamasundari Canal soon on way to turn Rangpur into a beautiful, clean and eco-friendly city.
The decision was taken at the meeting of the ‘Demarcation of the Shyamasundari Canal, its Restoration and Revivification Affairs Core Committee’ held at conference room of the Divisional Commissioner on Wednesday.
Divisional Commissioner KM Tariqul Islam presided over the meeting jointly organised by Bangladesh Water Development Board (BWDB) and Rangpur City Corporation (RpCC).
Members of the committee, including officials of RpCC, Bangladesh Army, Rangpur Metropolitan Police (RpMP), BWDB and other departments, public representatives and civil society members attended the meeting.
Mayor of Rangpur Mostafizar Rahman Mostafa, Station Commander of Rangpur Cantonment Brigadier General Shamsuddin Ahmed, Additional Divisional Commissioner (General) Md, Zakir Hossain, Acting Deputy Inspector General of Rangpur Range Police Iqbal Hossain, Superintending Engineer for Rangpur Crile of BWDB Harun-Ar-Rashid, President of district Awami League Mamtaz Uddin Ahmed, Deputy Commissioner Md. Asib Ahsan, Associate Professor of Begum Rokeya University Dr. Tuhin Wadud, among others, spoke.
The meeting observed that numerous illegal occupants have occupied most parts of the canal throughout the entire length, filled up and built illegal houses and other structures and cultivated crops causing huge pollution to the city environment.
The entire canal has become filthy, polluted with dirty water and sewerage lines emitting unpleasant odor increasing the level of pollution in the city day by day.
The participants said the canal has factually become almost full with garbage, bushes and dirt turning into a breeding ground for mosquitoes due to the lack of water flow round the year.
As a result, renovation, revival and mobilization of the Shyamasundari Canal have become the burning need of the time to improve the environment of the city for greater interest of improving the public health.
The meeting formed sub-committees to restore the canal from encroachers for its re-excavation; beautification and better management adopting scientific methods to maintain water flow there round the year, cleanliness and improve the city’s environment.
The meeting entrusted high officials with preparing a draft project proposal for a Development Mega Plan of the historical 16-km long Shyamasundari Canal to keep it live with water flow round the year.