Illegal religious, educational instts
along buriganga banks
Body to remove structures
The government has formed a committee to remove 43 illegal religious structures and educational institutions from the bank of the Buriganga.
Weve decided to remove illegal structures from the banks of all rivers girdling the capital. The probe committee has been asked to identify such structures and submit its report within a month. The report should contain recommendations on removing or shifting the illegal structures, shipping minister Shajahan Khan told reporters at the Secretariat after an inter-ministerial meeting yesterday.
Water resources minister Anisul Islam Mahmud, lawmaker Begum Sanjida Khanam, shipping ministry secretary Shafique Alam Mehdi, water resources secretary Dr Zafar Ahmed Khan, BIWTA chairman Commodore M Mozammel Huq, representatives of Islamic Foundation and Khatib of Baitul Mukarram attended the meeting.
The 15-member inter-ministerial committee is headed by Nasir Arif Mahmud, additional secretary to the shipping ministry, while Noor-ur Rahman, joint secretary to the shipping ministry, has been appointed member secretary of the committee. Other members have been chosen from the water resources, land, housing and religious ministries, BIWTA, marine police, Islamic Foundation, olama mashaikh, religious welfare trusts, metropolitan police commissioners, district commissioners and superintendents of police.
The shipping minister said the meeting also decided that the committee will physically inspect illegal structures across the country for removing them from the banks of rivers. A section of unscrupulous people have constructed religious structures on the bank of rivers or on government lands with ill motives. Such structures will be removed or shifted to free the river banks, he added.
Weve decided to free river banks from rampant encroachment. At least 43 religious structures have been built on different river banks around the capital, Shajahan Khan said, in reply to a query.
The shipping minister urged the Imams of different mosques locally to deliver sermons highlighting the ideology of Islam to refrain from building illegal religious structures on river banks. The department concerned has already evicted 4,740 illegal structures from the banks of rivers and reclaimed 215.73 acres of lands. Besides, 760 illegal concrete buildings have also been removed, he said.
