Step to Resolve Waterlogging Problem

Khulna Charichara canal digging programme opens

21 December 2009, 17:00 PM

Staff Correspondent, Khulna

City mayor Talukder Abdul Khaleque yesterday inaugurated the Charichara canal digging programme in a bid to resolve the waterlogging problem in Khulna city. A portion of the canal was earlier recovered from the grip of a ruling party man during the first phase of eviction drive launched by Khulna City Corporation (KCC) on July 3 this year. KCC has decided to dig the canals which have been freed from the encroachers, the mayor said. Waterlogging problem will be solved permanently with the implementation of canal digging programme, the mayor asserted. Earlier on Sunday, the mayor told this correspondent that the KCC would resume the drive against encroachers of remaining 24 canals of the city and its suburbs soon. The authorities have already evicted 25 encroachers out of 49 from canals and dykes during the first phase of drive. The drive, which continued from July 3 to August 18 this year, had to be suspended due to murder of ward councillor Shahid Iqbal Bithar who was convenor of the 15-member eviction drive committee. The panel mayor no-1 of KCC, Ajmol Ahmed Tapan, was later made convenor by the mayor to conduct the second phase of the eviction drive for freeing the remaining 24 canals. The first phase of the drive cost KCC a sum of Tk 2,32,600 from its own fund. "We have erected 200 boundary pillars while 300 others are under construction to earmark the canals recovered from encroachers", mayor said. The mayor said that there is no alternative to recovering the canals from the encroachers for solving the nagging waterlogging problem and keeping roads and highways sustainable. But fact remains that most of these canals were so long controlled by the district administration for which a number of them were grabbed under political influence, he said. He appealed to the city dwellers, district administration officials, Khulna Development Authority and non-government organisations to cooperate with the KCC in recovering the remaining 24 canals and dykes from the 'powerful' encroachers. The mayor, however, refused to disclose the names of the influential people and the political parties they belong to.