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River dredging devouring croplands in Sirajganj

Published : Wednesday, 16 March, 2022 at 12:00 AM  Count : 714
Ashok Benarjee
SIRAJGANJ, Mar 15: The river dredging by the government is going on in the district in an unplanned way.
According to field sources, in the name of developing rivers, recorded croplands are being dredged. Many people are losing their lands. Hundreds of locals have turned destitute after losing about 200 bighas of croplands.
Hundreds of local farmers of several villages formed human chain and submitted memorandum recently to the authorities concerned in demand of stopping reckless and illegal river dredging.
"We are not against river development. We demand dredging following government rules and regulations," affected farmers said.
According to sources at the Water Development Board (WDB)-Sirajganj, under the river bank protection project, a total of 217 kilometre (KM) river stretches of the Bangali, Karatoya, Fuljourh and Hurasagar rivers are being dredged. A 94km of the total area has been within Sirajgang District.
In order to prevent navigability crisis, the running river-dredging started in February in 2021 in the district like elsewhere of the country.
The river-dredging project of Tk 2,300 crore is being implemented by the WDB under the Ministry of Water Resources. The dredging work is being made at Tk 1,600 crore by 24 engineer construction brigade of Bangladesh Army. As part of the project, the Fuljourh River is being dredged at Panchakrushi Union in Ullapara Upazila.
While talking with this correspondent of The Daily Observer, a number of victims of three villages- Noorganj, Pecharpara, and Charpecharpara under Bannakani Mouja at Panchakrushi Union said, their recorded croplands are being dredged; already about 100 bighas of arable lands and croplands have been dredged; another 100 bighas are under process to be dug. Several hundred families of these villages are passing days in concern.
One Abdul Hadi of Norganj Village alleged, forefathers' two-cropping recorded lands and taxed lands are being dredged. His two bighas of croplands have been dug. Authorities concerned have been informed of the unplanned river-dredging. But it is not working.
A freedom fighter Abdur Razzak said, "I am poor. My two bighas of  lands have been dug. It is good that the government is dredging rivers to get back navigability. It will benefit us. We are not against development. But we want it to go abiding by the law. Why our owned lands will be dredged."
Ripon of Pecharparah Village said, "My two bigha lands have been dredged. The land under excavation is the taxed land belonging to my forefathers. Paddy, maize, wheat and other crops are cultivated in this land."
Deputy Commissioner D. Faruk Ahmed said, nothing will be done by destroying individual lands; this is the instructions of the Prime Minister.
No complaint has been made that someone's land was dredged; the dredging is supposed to go according to rules; if they (land owners) apply in written with deeds, necessary measures will be taken, he added.
Requesting anonymity, one army official of the dredging project informed,  according to the design and rules of the Water Resources Ministry, the river-dredging is going on; but the matter of compensating victims whose  croplands have fallen into the dredging activities has been informed to the authorities concerned.






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