Editorial
High-powered grabbing?
Law should apply equally to all
That grabbing of private and government-owned lands and water bodies is going on unabated has again come to the fore from the lead news in the Wednesday's issue of this paper.
A lawmaker from the ruling party is, reportedly, involved in establishing a power project apparently defying a ban on it issued by the Department of Environment (DoE) in February this year. It is worthwhile to note that no prior clearance was obtained from the Bangladesh Water Transport Authority (BIWTA) to the effect that no government land, water body, nor any part of a river was being filled up for the project. It was later obtained and then submitted to the DoE only after the latter asked for the same.
What worries us are the local people's views of the project. According to them, it has actually demarcated for filling up a large government-owned water body that supplies irrigation water to the area's croplands as well as part of Buriganga. Besides, the mouth of an important canal that links Buriganga to nearby Keraniganj district has already been filled up. The locals further alleged that the power company had taken possession of their lands before informing them of the matter.
These are serious allegations which demand investigation. Furthermore, it cannot be that the entrepreneurs behind the power project were not aware of the hazards such plants can pose to the environment. If so, why did not they first get the clearance of the DoE before acquiring any parts of the land or water bodies?
If a lawmaker is himself found breaking law, then what can we expect from other people? And if the common people who vote for the members of parliament are afraid of opening their mouth against forcible occupation of their land by the project, then where would they go for a fair deal and justice?
The government should carry out an investigation into the matter to get to its bottom and take remedial measures immediately.
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