• Rapid implementation of Riverbank Protection Project demanded

Staff Reporter:

The leaders and activists of Anti-discrimination Students Movement in collaboration with the river erosion victims on Thursday staged demonstrations including rally at Hatpanchil Baza’ar area in Shahzadpur upazila of Sirajganj district demanding rapid implementation of a project taken to protect right embankment of the Jamuna river from Brahmangram to Hatpanchil involving at around Tk Tk 647 crore.

Leaders and activists of Anti-discrimination Students Movement in collaboration with erosion victims holds rally at Hatpanchil Baza’ar in Shahzadpur upazila of Sirajganj district. Photo: TDS

The demonstrators also held a rally at Hatpanchil area and formed a human chain on the bank of river, where the erosion has taken serious turn due to strong current of the river.

The speakers claimed that, hundreds of people in several villages including Brahmangram, Jalalpur, Arkandi, Monakosa, Panchil and Hatpanchil area have already become displaced due to onslaught of Jamuna erosion.

Many people along with their family members have shifted their homesteads to safer places, while many others have been leading miserable life under the open sky after losing their homesteads by the devastating erosion.  Not only that, much more homesteads, croplands and installations in the area are now under threat of erosion.

Partly view of human chain. Photo: TDS

The speakers further said, “If the project work is completed within the scheduled time, many people and their assets will save from the erosion in future. Otherwise, they will face hardship due to unbridled clutch of Jamuna erosion. This is why, they urged the concerned contractors and officials of the WDB to complete the project work in time.

They also urged the high-ups of the incumbent interim government to keep the flow of funding smooth for the project in which the work is not hampered in future anymore.

Local erosion victims, Anti-discrimination Students Movement leaders and activists among others spoke on the occasion in the event.

Mahbubur Rahman, Executive Engineer of Water Development Board (WDB) in Sirajganj told The Daily Sky that, “After discussion with the Additional Chief Engineer of WDB in Rajshahi Md. Mukhlesur Rahman and Deputy Commissioner (DC) Mir Mohammad Mahbubur Rahman, we have taken an emergency initiative to dumping 4,000 sand sacks with Geo-Textile to protect the affected areas from erosion. The work of sand sack dumping will start from Friday morning.”

“Besides, the WDB officials and concerned contractors are working hard to implement the project as soon as possible. We are really sincere to protect the lives and properties of people on erosion and floods,” he added.