KCC to free 28 more canals

20 August 2009, 17:00 PM

Staff Correspondent, Khulna

Khulna City Corporation (KCC) authorities will resume their drive against unauthorised structures on watercourses soon as they have decided to free 28 more canals from encroachers. A meeting of KCC's 19-member demolition drive committee held at Nagor Bhaban on Wednesday afternoon marked the new canals raising their number to 50. Convenor of the committee, panel mayor Ajmol Ahmed Tapon presided over the meeting. Earlier on July 3, the KCC launched a drive to demolish illegal structures on 22 canals of the city and its suburbs following the committee's first list made on July 1. But only eight of the 22 canals could be freed as the demolition drive suffered setback after the July 11 murder of ward councillor Shahid Iqbal Bithar, the first convenor of 19-member demolition drive committee. Following inspection and on-the-spot survey of the sites, the committee had submitted a report to the city mayor in last March. The city dwellers often face waterlogging in the rainy season as unauthorised structures on the canals and drains hinder flow of rainwater from different city areas. “Demolition drive against illegal structures on the canals will again start on Monday with commitment to free the canals from encroachers without any fear, favour and compassion. It is needed to rid the city people of waterlogging during the monsoon,” KCC Mayor Talukder Abdul Khaleque said yesterday. The KCC has also decided to realise fines from encroachers as compensation for the fund spent to conduct demolition drive on the canals. Help of police will be taken to nab encroachers if they do not pay fines, said convenor of the demolition drive committee. The structures erected on the 50 canals and drains include residential houses, shops, roads, a mosque, a madrasa, schools, KCC Pump House, bus ticket counter, a city councillor's office, a health care centre, government nurses quarters, rickshaw garages and enclosures for fish cultivation. A few residential houses constructed on the canals belong to officials of civil and police administration.