Standing committee recommends urgent removal of polythenes from Buriganga
During the meeting, the committee emphasized that no land within the periphery of the river will be allocated or leased to any government or non-government organization
The parliamentary standing committee on the ministry of shipping has recommended that the government use grab dredgers to take urgent steps to remove polythenes from the bottom of the Buriganga River.
The recommendation was made during the 26th meeting of the committee, held at the Jatiya Sangsad Bhaban on Sunday, according to a press release issued by the sangsad secretariat.
Major (retd) Rafiqul Islam chaired the meeting.
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During the meeting, the committee emphasized that no land within the periphery of the river will be allocated or leased to any government or non-government organization.
The committee also recommended that the National River Conservation Commission take requisite steps, enabling the High Court Division to expedite the disposal of the appeals of the river occupants so that illegal structures on the river are evicted.
The chairman of the River Protection Commission presented the actual scenario of the country's rivers to the committee. He said that 19,000 illegal establishments have been evicted so far.
The committee recommended that the River Protection Commission and Bangladesh Inland Water Transport Authority (BIWTA) realise the expenses of the eviction drive from the relevant individual or entity.
It also recommended that dredging activity should not be carried out without the permission of BIWTA.
Committee members include State Minister for Shipping, Khalid Mahmud Chowdhury; Shahjahan Khan, Ranjit Kumar Roy, Mahfuzur Rahman, Dr Samil Uddin Ahmed Shimul, Md Aslam Hossain Saudagar and SM Shahzada.
The secretary of the ministry of shipping, chairman of the River Protection Commission and BIWTA, as well as relevant officials of the ministry and the parliament secretariat attended the meeting.
