HC clears way for recovery of grabbed Buriganga land

We commend a ruling by High Court removing the hurdles for the government to carry out eviction drives on an illegally grabbed land along the Buriganga River. According to a report published in this paper, the court cleared the way for the government to recover the land in Keraniganj from the possession of three companies of Maisha Group owned by a ruling party lawmaker, rejecting a writ petition filed collectively by the three companies.

Earlier, a probe by the National River Conservation Commission (NRCC) revealed that in 2010, the said lawmaker of Dhaka-14, Aslamul Haque, had filled up more than 54 acres from the Buriganga river and wetland to construct a power plant and a private economic zone in the vicinity of Basila, Keraniganj, in a clear violation of the Water Act. How could a lawmaker abuse his power to conduct such illegal activities? We have often witnessed how ordinary citizens have had to lose their land to grabbers connected with politicians and public officials, and now a lawmaker representing the state has been found to be directly involved. It's a pity that politically connected groups have been continuously grabbing our rivers and waterbodies despite several directives given by the HC. Rivers and such waterbodies belong to the people and no one should be allowed to tamper with them for their petty gains. Now that the HC has ruled, the land grabbed and filled up by Maisha Group must be recovered immediately and all the clearance certificates previously provided to the accused must be terminated.

We also congratulate the NRCC for its leading role in unearthing the illegal practice. This is but one case of river grabbing, however, and there are plenty of cases to take note of around the country. While the government's eviction drives have seen successful in some cases, the challenges that lie ahead are enormous. Also, often it is seen that evicted land has been grabbed again by taking advantage of lack of oversight, monitoring and follow-up actions by the agencies concerned. The government must remain careful that nothing of this sort happens in case of the Keraniganj incident and other cases pursued by the agencies. The illegal river grabbers must be held accountable for their crimes, which have a profound impact on the lives and livelihoods of the people as well as the environment.