Unabated encroachment of the Turag

Two photographs published in this newspaper on Monday show the rampant encroachment of the river Turag that is going on with impunity for some time. We are shocked at the extent the width of the river has shrunk in the last two years, which speaks of neglect and indifference with which we are treating the rivers that once were the country's lifeline. 

Seven long years have passed since a landmark ruling was handed down by the High Court where it had directed the government to demarcate boundaries of major rivers that included the Turag and stop illegal encroachment of these rivers. But what we witness now is a total disregard for the directive, and an environment of impunity that surrounds the illegal grabbing of these rivers, of which the Turag is one. Devouring rivers is reportedly being done by a nefarious syndicate in connivance with some local public servants whose job is to prevent exactly that. Eviction drives are rarely carried out; and that too without the adequate manpower, equipment or the necessary planning. As a result, hot on the heels of the drives, encroachers return with renewed vigour to carry out their sordid business, unabated. 

Big cities thrive on the banks of great rivers. The authorities cannot stand in the sidelines as silent spectators while unbridled encroachment, fuelled by sheer greed, is devouring our river with disastrous consequences. We urge the government to take strong action against the grabbers and give back the Turag and the other rivers to the people. Also, shouldn't the government hold the agencies accountable whose job it is to prevent illegal grabbing and prosecute those responsible for it?