Editorial
Yet another eviction drive
Fix river demarcation first
THERE have been perhaps a dozen eviction drives by the authorities to remove illegal structures that continue to encroach on the Buriganga River. The latest one launched on September 4 by Bangladesh Inland Water Transport Authority (BIWTA) removed dozens of such structures. But to what end? The reality is that concerned authorities do not go the whole hog. The high and mighty or the politically-connected residents or owners of establishments who have illegally set up shop get left out of such eviction efforts.
And once the drive is over, it is business back to usual and soon new structures pop up like mushrooms to replace those that have been removed. The unfortunate truth is that the demarcation of the river was not done properly. This paper has raised the issue many times. Until the landmark ruling on demarcation handed down by the Supreme Court in 2009 is properly implemented, there will continue to be cases of encroachment.
The erroneous setting up of demarcation pillars along the Buriganga river has only helped further the cause of encroachers and narrowed the river down to a mere shadow of its former self. With little by way of monitoring by BIWTA, it is little wonder that such violation of the law continues to take place. And the long interludes between eviction drives only help unscrupulous quarters to manage illegal documentation to lay claim on landfills that should not be existing in the first place.
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