Regulator stares as grabbers encroach on rivers, wetlands

Many rivers, canals and wetlands flowing around major cities across the country are still in the clutches of grabbers largely as a government-set rescue plan lacks bite for ineffective regulations.

Environmentalists and insiders made such observations, and blamed inadequate action from the government in stemming the tide of encroachment that has assumed a crisis proportion, evident in the monsoon-time deluge and water-logging.

Encroachers, mainly the influentials having political clout, are continuing grabbing rivers, canals and wetlands. And this wanton act is resulting in environmental erosion, blocking drainage and sometimes their final extinction, they said.

The National River Protection Commission (NRPC), a state-run body constituted to reclaim rivers from land-grabbers in September 2014, can do little as it was formed only to recommend relevant issues without any executive authority to implement any decision, they lamented.

Besides, the special body has been running sans its head, chairman, and a member for the past three months after retirement of its founding-chairman and member.

Some insiders said most of the government actions against the encroachers, albeit on a limited scale, came not in line with the NRPC recommendations but following movements and protests by victims and rights groups and court orders.

"We filed some 60 cases against the river, canal and wetland grabbers over the past several years and already got some verdicts in our favour," president of Human Rights and Peace for Bangladesh (HRPB) Advocate Manzill Murshid told the FE Saturday.

He said some grabbers had to leave their encroached land from rivers and relocate their industrial setups following court verdicts.

A real-estate company at Mohammadpur in the capital had to give back nine bighas of land to the Buriganga riverbed recently following the filing of a case by the HRPB and a subsequent court verdict, Mr Murshid mentioned.

"We will fight in court against the grabbers until the encroached land is reclaimed," the rights lawyer said.

"A local furniture-manufacturing company had fought against us until it got verdict from the Appellate Division of the Supreme Court against its encroachment," said Mr Murshid.
The furniture company had to relocate its factory by relinquishing some one-bigha land to the Balu riverbed recently.

Talking about shabby status of canals, he said many of the canals that used to exist in the capital decades ago have already vanished, while the rest are under threat due to unabated encroachments and the dumping of solid waste.

The canals connected with surrounding rivers were natural drainage network, which has almost been destroyed.

Sources said the HRPB played a key role in the formation of the NRPC, which was established following a 2009 High Court verdict.

The HRPB had filed a writ petition to the High Court (HC) in 2009 seeking government action against pollution and the grabbing of rivers around the capital, mainly in the rivers Buriganga, Turag, Balu and Shitalakhya.

The HC in July 2009 came up with a judgment and subsequently ordered the government to form a commission to protect the rivers.

The court then also had directed the government to demarcate riverbanks, set pillars along the riverbeds and stop pollution.

It also ordered immediate steps to dredge the Buriganga, Turag, Balu and Shitalakkhya rivers around the capital and remove the dirty materials deposited on the riverbeds.

The court also had asked the authorities to dredge Jamuna-Dhaleshwari, Dhaleshwari-Buriganga, Old Brahmaputra-Bangshi, Bangshi-Turag, Jamuna-Punglikhal, Turag and Tongi canals.

Although the NRPC was formed on the HC order, its working capacity was limited to recommending ways of stopping encroachment upon rivers, canals and wetlands sans any executive power to act, Murhsid bemoaned.

General Secretary of Bangladesh Poribesh Andolon (BAPA) Mohammad Abdul Matin was even more critical of the limited work score of the NRPC.

"It is the weakest commission in Bangladesh and a 'paper-made tiger," he said about the status of the regulator in a field where the high and mighty quarters are desperate to clutch scarce land that fall in their way.

It seems that the government constituted the commission only to carry out the HC verdict as it had a legal obligation, Mr Matin contended.

"There was no need for the NRPC if its job was only to make recommendations," said the BAPA top executive, who has been with the BAPA in the current position since 2007.

Civil-society groups, including non-governmental organisations (NGOs) and newspapers, were enough to make recommendations for protecting rivers, canals and wetlands, he added.

Talking to the FE a senior NRPC official said the commission's current activities are almost 'nil' as it does not have any chairman now.

NRPC's founding-chairman Md Atharul Islam and member Md Alauddin completed their three-year contractual job in August. Thereafter, no appointments against these posts were made yet, he said, preferring anonymity.

Despite limited work scope, the commission had performed until they were in office, he added.

Talking about limitations, he said the commission had not yet got its approved organogram. Lack of manpower is hindering the commission's job badly.

Currently, only three permanent employees are working in the commission. Some employees work in the NRPC under attachment provision and deputation from different state-run entities on daily-wage basis, he added.

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