Addressing concerns involving removal of illegal structures

Instead of making the eviction drive a seasonal eye-wash, the demolishing of the illegal structures will have to be made a continuous process

Demolishing illegal structures especially those from the riverbank is undoubtedly a welcome decision though the drive has been too delayed. Removal of all illegal structures from the riverbank is a long-felt demand of the people as well as the country since rivers serve the lifeline to the riverine Bangladesh. The smooth flow of more than 700 rivers of Bangladesh is of vital importance as far as the economy and GDP of Agro-based Bangladesh is concerned. In addition, rivers are being used traditionally as the natural ways of communication for the biggest deltaic region like Bangladesh. An extremely powerful vested interest syndicate has long made ravenous encroachments on our rivers and the tentacles of this viciously clandestine power cliché are so deeply rooted that the establishment can hardly curb them.

What can be  a more tragic tale than the one in which less than 1% illegal encroachers and trespassers have grabbed the source of life and living of 99% people living in Bangladesh. It goes without saying that river banks naturally belong to each and every person of the country and the ugliest objects ever seen in the midst of primordially pristine nature are possibly the concrete structures of the illegal land-grabbers. River banks poachers have already slowly but steadily captured 97% bank areas particularly those urban parts snaked by rivers. For instance, 85% bank areas of Dhaka’s three major rivers Buriganga, Balu and the Turag have already squeezed into stinky narrow channels of stangnant water.

Like the rivers of Dhaka, other rivers flowing through country’s all cities and townships fall hapless victims to the unlimited human greed. Once these rivers were swinging with flows and tides but now they are just the memories of the past to the older generations who had seen their youth. But these rivers grabbing spree was not initiated long ago. Aggressive invasions on our rivers did actually begin not more than just ten years ago when the all-engulfing commercialization consumerized the natural and cultural heritages and identities. However, it is the culture of consumerization that has been at work in the case of river bank grabbing in Bangladesh. Rather, our careless, casual, callous mindset in preserving and protecting our traditions and roots practically works as the motivating inspiration for the river-grabbers.

The on-going drive for removing the illegal structures from the river banks is not at all new to the people of Bangladesh. Such drives routinely are taken from time to time. However, the demolished illegal structures dismantled by the bulldozers of the BIWTA or the law-enforcing agencies have reappeared soon after their disappearance. It has been allegedly reported that many of these illegal structures belong to the big wigs of the powerful syndicate. This is a real tragedy of our country that a number of people-friendly and patriotic endeavors had been met with hurdles and obstacles on several occasions in the past.

Concerns of the mass people who from time immemorial do enjoy the unimpeded access to the rivers will not be redressed once the phenomenon of re-encroachment recurs in the cyclic fashion. With the relentlessly continuous process of river bank grabbing, common people have lost their inherently umbilical ties with the flows of nature. In fact, illegal capturing of the river banks by a minuscule minority has practically snapped the natural bonding of the people and distancing them from the sources of echoes of their hearts. It is obviously a prime concern of the people when they see at day break that a new concrete structure has appeared on the river bank. Their concerns increase gradually in proportion to the heights of these concrete structures. Either concrete or makeshift, people simply feel alienated seeing these structures in the lap of idyllic nature.

Instead of making the eviction drive a seasonal eye-wash, the demolishing of the illegal structures will have to be made a continuous process and a zero-tolerance policy will have to be pursued in the strictest term of the word. Without following a non-partisan and neutral policy minus fear and favor, the present on-going raids like the ones in the past will end to a scratching halt yielding no tangible result. A national steering committee has to be formed in this respect to monitor and supervise the progress of the eviction drives. The committee must include the representatives from all strata of the society to put the noble mission above all doubts and confusions. Even those who possess dissident views will have to be included in the steering committee.

Last but not the least, the material value of the illegal structures will have to be taken seriously into consideration and which is why the demolishing works must be done in a way so that the valuable materials of the illegal structures can be retrieved and put into open auction. The auction proceeds will be deposited in the public treasury. Once things are done in the way, I strongly believe that our country will be benefitted immensely and the people’s rights on the river banks will be firmly re-established.   

The writer is a contributor to

The Independent

Addressing concerns involving removal of illegal structures

Instead of making the eviction drive a seasonal eye-wash, the demolishing of the illegal structures will have to be made a continuous process

Demolishing illegal structures especially those from the riverbank is undoubtedly a welcome decision though the drive has been too delayed. Removal of all illegal structures from the riverbank is a long-felt demand of the people as well as the country since rivers serve the lifeline to the riverine Bangladesh. The smooth flow of more than 700 rivers of Bangladesh is of vital importance as far as the economy and GDP of Agro-based Bangladesh is concerned. In addition, rivers are being used traditionally as the natural ways of communication for the biggest deltaic region like Bangladesh. An extremely powerful vested interest syndicate has long made ravenous encroachments on our rivers and the tentacles of this viciously clandestine power clich are so deeply rooted that the establishment can hardly curb them. What can be a more tragic tale than the one in which less than 1% illegal encroachers and trespassers have grabbed the source of life and living of 99% people living in Bangladesh. It goes without saying that river banks naturally belong to each and every person of the country and the ugliest objects ever seen in the midst of primordially pristine nature are possibly the concrete structures of the illegal land-grabbers. River banks poachers have already slowly but steadily captured 97% bank areas particularly those urban parts snaked by rivers. For instance, 85% bank areas of Dhakas three major rivers Buriganga, Balu and the Turag have already squeezed into stinky narrow channels of stangnant water. Like the rivers of Dhaka, other rivers flowing through countrys all cities and townships fall hapless victims to the unlimited human greed. Once these rivers were swinging with flows and tides but now they are just the memories of the past to the older generations who had seen their youth. But these rivers grabbing spree was not initiated long ago. Aggressive invasions on our rivers did actually begin not more than just ten years ago when the all-engulfing commercialization consumerized the natural and cultural heritages and identities. However, it is the culture of consumerization that has been at work in the case of river bank grabbing in Bangladesh. Rather, our careless, casual, callous mindset in preserving and protecting our traditions and roots practically works as the motivating inspiration for the river-grabbers. The on-going drive for removing the illegal structures from the river banks is not at all new to the people of Bangladesh. Such drives routinely are taken from time to time. However, the demolished illegal structures dismantled by the bulldozers of the BIWTA or the law-enforcing agencies have reappeared soon after their disappearance. It has been allegedly reported that many of these illegal structures belong to the big wigs of the powerful syndicate. This is a real tragedy of our country that a number of people-friendly and patriotic endeavors had been met with hurdles and obstacles on several occasions in the past. Concerns of the mass people who from time immemorial do enjoy the unimpeded access to the rivers will not be redressed once the phenomenon of re-encroachment recurs in the cyclic fashion. With the relentlessly continuous process of river bank grabbing, common people have lost their inherently umbilical ties with the flows of nature. In fact, illegal capturing of the river banks by a minuscule minority has practically snapped the natural bonding of the people and distancing them from the sources of echoes of their hearts. It is obviously a prime concern of the people when they see at day break that a new concrete structure has appeared on the river bank. Their concerns increase gradually in proportion to the heights of these concrete structures. Either concrete or makeshift, people simply feel alienated seeing these structures in the lap of idyllic nature. Instead of making the eviction drive a seasonal eye-wash, the demolishing of the illegal structures will have to be made a continuous process and a zero-tolerance policy will have to be pursued in the strictest term of the word. Without following a non-partisan and neutral policy minus fear and favor, the present on-going raids like the ones in the past will end to a scratching halt yielding no tangible result. A national steering committee has to be formed in this respect to monitor and supervise the progress of the eviction drives. The committee must include the representatives from all strata of the society to put the noble mission above all doubts and confusions. Even those who possess dissident views will have to be included in the steering committee. Last but not the least, the material value of the illegal structures will have to be taken seriously into consideration and which is why the demolishing works must be done in a way so that the valuable materials of the illegal structures can be retrieved and put into open auction. The auction proceeds will be deposited in the public treasury. Once things are done in the way, I strongly believe that our country will be benefitted immensely and the peoples rights on the river banks will be firmly re-established. The writer is a contributor to The Independent