Land grabbers feast on riverbank as admin busy to tackle Covid-19

While the administration is struggling to check the spread of Covid-19, some unscrupulous people did not miss the 'opportunity' to occupy land on the western bank of the Sheakathi river on Patuakhali-Galachipa route in Phedainagar area of Jainkathi union of Patuakhali Sadar upazila.

During visit to the spot a few days ago, this correspondent found that five locals are getting a portion of the riverbank area sand-filled after making an earthen ridge with an excavator.

They have continued filling the area with the sand extracted by a dredger of Bangladesh Inland Water Transport Authority (BIWTA) for around a month, said residents of the area.

BIWTA has arranged dredging of the Sheakathi river in the area as part of an initiative to maintain navigability of Galachipa-Dhaka river route via Patuakhali.

But the riverbank area is getting filled up as the extracted sand is dumped through a pipe just at the spot where the five alleged grabbers made a ridge.

Md Bulbul Ahmed, operator of the BIWTA dredger, said, "Dredging is going on as per the government directive, and we are dumping sand on the riverbank as there is no other suitable place for it."

One of the occupants, Alamgir Mridha said they want to build houses after filling the riverbank land which is in front of their ancestral land.

Another occupier, Monir Mridha said they are filling up their own land.

Asked how the riverbank can be their land, he said, "We regularly pay revenue to the government. Therefore, we are the real owners of the land in front of our property."

Meanwhile, another earthen barrier has been made with a soil-cutting device to separate around five acres of land beside the bank outside the embankment.

This correspondent saw that polyethylene sheets were set to keep the dumped sand inside the ridge area to fill it up.

"Some locals have occupied hundreds of acres of land along the river at Sheakathi and Bholkhali villages. Existence of the river will be under threat if the unscrupulous act continues," said Abul Hossain, a resident of the area.

The administration should take action to keep the river flowing, he said.

Jainkathi union parishad Chairman Md Firoz Alam said the matter will be brought to the notice of the upazila administration for taking action.

Contacted, Additional Deputy Commissioner (Revenue) Md Mamun Ur Rashid

said, "Now we are too busy with works to check the spread of coronavirus and the issue of river land occupation did not come to our notice."

​"The government is committed to protecting the normal flow of the river. We will take action against occupiers after investigation," he added.