Demarcation of 29 Dhaka canals starts

All illegal establishments will be evicted from the canals in the city following the demarcation of the waterbodies, said LGRD and Cooperatives Minister Md Tazul Islam on Wednesday.

He said this while addressing the inauguration function of the demarcation process of 29 canals and one regulatory pond under Dhaka North City Corporation (DNCC).  The event was arranged in the city’s Kalyanpur Regulatory Pond area.  

The Minister praised Dhaka's two city corporations for starting the process to free canals from illegal occupants and  evict illegal structures from the water channels after the Dhaka WASA handed over the responsibility of the canals to them.

He said the government acquired 173 acres of land in Kalyanpur to construct a water regulatory pond in a bid to ease the Dhaka city’s waterlogging. 

But the entire land except three acres went under the illegal land grabbers and different structures were constructed on the acquired land, he said.

“The normal water flow will be ensured by removing all establishments inside the land after the demarcation,” said the Minister.

He said many canals including Ramchandrapur have already been freed from the illegal occupations.  In collaboration with the administration, the public representatives have evicted various illegal establishments by engaging common people in it, he said.

Tazul said the public support is required to bring back the heritage of Dhaka by reviving the old canals. 

He sought the cooperation from media in garnering public support, said a PID handout.

DNCC Mayor Md Atiqul Islam also spoke on the occasion, while DNCC ward councilors and senior officials were present.