Demarcate Buriganga second channel

The High Court yesterday directed the government to determine the second channel of the river Buriganga in Kamrangirchar and Hazaribagh areas through a survey and to set up pillars on its boundaries in 60 days.

In response to a writ petition, the court asked the director general of the Department of Land Record and Survey to conduct the survey through a special committee and establish the pillars.

It asked the inspector general of police, commissioner of Dhaka Metropolitan Police, deputy commissioner of Dhaka, and Bangladesh Inland Water Transport Authority to provide necessary assistance in doing the job, petitioner's counsel Manzill Murshid told The Daily Star.

He said the authorities indentified the second channel of the Burignaga in Keraniganj after a survey and set up pillars on the boundary of the river there as per the HC's 2009 directives, but did not do it for the channel in Kamrangirchar and Hazaribagh.

Manzill said this was informed at a task force meeting of the shipping ministry and therefore, he moved the petition yesterday before the HC.

After hearing the petition, the HC bench of Justice Mirza Hussain Haider and Justice AKM Zahirul Hoque passed the order for protecting the river from encroachment and pollution, he added.