And now the Ijtema land for grabs

Are we to understand that all those involved in the process of approving this land sale, that involved a lengthy bureaucratic procedure and went through the scrutinising eyes of several responsible officers of high standing, were oblivious of the error that was being committed?

How could this occur? This is a suspected case of collusion of government or Rajuk officials with private parties in ladling out public land at a price. In this case this happens to be land on a riverbank that has the potential of further encroachments of the already moribund Turag.

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From time to time we have been exposing cases of illegal encroachments of riverbanks that have harmful effects on the environment. The Turag basin has been eyed by many as lucrative piece of real estate. But this area also happens to be a major catchment area of the capital and its surrounding. Much of the unnatural water logging of the city in the recent past has been due in part to the filling up of the catchment area. Similarly, land poachers are threatening the course of the Sitalakkhya and other rivers with choking.

There is a task force set up by the government to address the issue of river encroachments, and it has also taken steps to free some area of illegal occupation. But more often these happen to be in prominent areas under popular gaze. We wonder whether the committee is active in remote areas that are under illegal occupation? Government agencies are found to cry hoarse about this matter from time to time but that has remained merely a lip service so far.

We demand that the 'mistaken' allotment be done away with and the land restored to the original owners, because, not only does the matter smell rats but there are also the wider questions of river protection and wetland conservation involved here.

Some corrective action against those involved in the omission or commission would be in order.