Unplanned canal digging creates public pain

Barishal Correspondent :

Bangladesh Water Development Board (WDB) is implementing the much-desired canal digging project to alleviate the waterlogging of Barishal city and making the canals to flow water easily. But the excavation of the canal was started completely unplanned. There are questions as to how much the city dwellers will benefit from this excavation, BAPA activist opined.
The project of re-excavating seven canals at a cost of Tk 6 crore 3 lakh started on December 22 last year. Already the digging work of some canals is near to be completed. But due to unplanned digging of canals, cracks appeared in the roads of the city corporation. Many houses are damaged. However, the Water Development Board and the City Corporation have given assurances to repair the dilapidated roads.
Bangladesh Environment Movement (BAPA) Barishal district coordinator Rafiqul Alam said that there is some pre-preparatory work for digging the canal. First of all the boundary of the canal has to be determined. Piling should be done in places where the homestead is vulnerable. Zilla Parishad stalls at canal side also have not been removed.
Executive Engineer of Water Development Board Barishal Khaled bin Walid said, I know that there have been problems in some places due to excavation. These will be renovated in coordination with the city authorities.
Chief Executive Officer of Barisal City Corporation Israel Hossain said that the matter of road collapse during excavation work will be investigated and reported. If there is a problem somewhere, it will be rectified.
Mentionable as the 22 canals were flowing through the Barishal city , so the town was named by national rebel poet Kazi Nazrul Islam as Venice of Bengal.