'Save waterlogged Bhabadah people'

People, living in the waterlogged Bhabadah area under Abhaynagar, Monirampur and Keshabpur upazilas in Jessore yesterday demanded immediate solution to the water-logging problem before the upcoming Durga Puja.

Villagers under the banner of "Bhabadah Water Mitigation Movement Committee" also submitted a memorandum (MoU) to the deputy commissioner (DC) in Jessore to press home their five-point demand.

They also staged a sit-in at the DC office premises and demanded that the government declare Bhabadah as an "affected area".

Speakers also urged the authorities concerned to mitigate the crisis before the Durga Puja, the biggest festival of the Hindu community.

Their demands include--dredging at Bhabadah point, re-excavation of Amdanga canal, opening Bhabadah sluice gate and making it fully functional, implementation of Tidal River Management (TRM) Project in Beel Kapalia area and renovation of damaged roads, educational institutions and different religious establishments.

Among others, Abdul Malek, Enamul Haque Babul, Abdur Rouf and Abdul Mannan Sana, spoke on the occasion.

Earlier, activists of "Bhabadah Movement Committee" backed by Workers Party of Bangladesh placed a memorandum to the deputy commissioner's office to press home their six-point demand.

Locals said about 10 lakh people in Bhabadah area are suffering due to water-logging.