DHAKA, Feb 26, 2020 (BSS) – Land Minister Saifuzzaman Chowdhury today said that plans are being taken to construct dikes around government khas ponds to facilitate the lives of local poor people in the area.
The minister said this while addressing the monthly progress review meeting of the Annual Development Program (ADP) of the fiscal year 2019-20 in the conference room of the Ministry of Land at the Secretariat here.
He also said that the ponds would be re-excavated after retrieving from the illegal occupation. Besides, vigorous initiatives will also be taken to recover the government’s khas wetlands and ponds which are illegally occupied.
These retrieved wetlands and ponds will either be open to the destitute people or allotted to the poor fishermen.
Terming the current government led by Sheikh Hasina as a pro-people government, Saifuzzaman also said that measures would be taken to open some ponds to enable local poor people to use those daily.
He said, if the occupied ponds will be leased out, employment would be generated for the marginalized people and the government revenue would be generated every year.
Besides, if the initiatives are taken for fish farming in the allotted ponds, the protein supply will increase at the local level.
The meeting was chaired by the Land Minister while Land Secretary Md. Muksodur Rahman Patwary conducted the meeting.
Chairman of Land Appeal Board Ummul Hasna, Chairman of Land Reforms Board Md Abdul Mannan, DG of Land Record and Survey Department Md Taslimul Islam, Additional Secretary (Development) Md. Abdul Haque and Project Directors of various projects along with the senior officials of the Ministry of Land attended the meeting, among others.