Evict 74 illegal structures from Buriganga Channel

Staff Reporter :
The High Court on Thursday directed the government to evict 74 illegal structures from the Buriganga river’s ‘Adi Channel (original channel)’ near Hazaribagh and Kamrangirchar areas of Dhaka in three months.
The Deputy Commissioner (DC) of Dhaka and the Chairman of the Bangladesh Inland Water Transport Authority (BIWTA) have been asked to comply with the order and to submit a compliance report to the HC by June 26 this year.
The court also asked police and Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) to provide assistance to DC and BIWTA in carrying out the eviction activities.
The HC bench of Justice Gobinda Chandra Tagore and Justice Mohammed Ullah passed the order while hearing a writ petition filed by a rights organization, Human Rights and Peace for Bangladesh (HRPB) seeking necessary order.
Advocate Manzill Murshid appeared in the court on behalf of the writ petitioner, while Deputy Attorney General Aurobina Roy represented the state and Advocate Amtul Karim appeared for the Department of the Environment.
Earlier the Land Record and Survey Department submitted a survey report to the HC bench saying there are 74 unauthorized structures including buildings and tin-shed houses in the ‘Adi Channel (original channel) of the Buriganga river near Hazaribagh and Kamrangirchar areas.
The department submitted the report through Deputy Attorney General Aurobina Roy in line with the HC order passed on October 12 last year, said Manzill Murshid.
Following a public interest litigation the HC in a verdict in 2009 issued 9-point directives upon the government including conducting survey to identify the river boundaries and evicting the illegal grabbers.
The ‘Adi Channel of the Buriganga river near Hazaribagh and Kamrangirchar areas was excluded from the survey at that time. Later in 2020 a petition was placed to the HC seeking its direction to conduct a survey in that area.
Upon hearing the petition the HC on October 12 last year directed the director general of the Land Record and Survey Department to conduct a survey at that area and to submit a report to the court.