Several hundred students floated paper boats on the water of the narrow channel of once mighty Chitra river in Jhenidah’s Kaliganj upazila protesting the growing pollution as well as grabbing of the river lands.
The Kaliganj Students Association organized the symbolic protest on Saturday. Vice chairman of Kaliganj Upazila Parishad Shibli Noman, local municipality ward councilor Maniruzzaman Rinku, Fire Service and Civil defense officer Mamunur Rashid, general secretary of local press club Sabjal Hossain, Rafiqul Islam Mantu, Ashiqur Rahman Sohag and Reaz Moah among others spoke at the protest programme.
Speakers at the protest programme said the Chitra River was a mighty river, on which colourful and large boats, carrying agricultural products, set sail towner towards different corners of Bangladesh including Dhaka, Narayanganj, and Chattagram.
Thousands of fishermen caught fishes in the river and supplied those to elsewhere in the country after meeting the local demand, they added.
They said the river water was widely used for irrigation and other agricultural purposes and people enjoying the river water for bathing and casual purposes.
Expressing dissatisfaction, the protesters said the river apparently turned to dead since its cannel being narrowed day by day.
The lusty people had grabbed the ri0ver beds and banks and constructed structures both sides. Earlier the local administration d municipality authorities had removed so-me of the structures which could not refrain the grabbers from doing the same evil practices, they said.
When contacted, president of the students’ association Mostafa Ibne Masud said the river grabbing don’t stop completely since removing structures remain suspended for past couple of months.
Kaliganj Upazia Nirbahi Officer (UNO) Subarna Rani Saha said they had been removing the illegal structures from the river beds and banks to free the river from the grabbers to increase navigability.
Since the pandemic has stopped the operation, now they are mulling to resume the drive against river grabbing and pollution, Saha added.
