Editorial
The threat to Atir khal
The canal must not fall into predatory hands
THE commandeering of lakes and rivers by unscrupulous individuals and organizations over the last many years is today a major public concern. The fact that much has been written about such nefarious activities does not seem to have resulted in any change of attitude among some quarters. The latest that we have on the issue is the bid to fill in an old, well-known water body in Waaspur on the outskirts of the capital, known as Atir khal. As reports have it, a housing society has been piling sand into the lake on the basis of what it claims documents allowing it to operate in the area. The amazing part of the story here is that, as an official of the Waaspur Garden City Cooperative Society has said, there is no mention of the canal in the documents the company has seen. It raises a mind-boggling question: since the canal has been there for ages and only five years ago a bridge was built over it, how is it that there is no mention of it in the documents?
It is here that questions about who prepared the documents and in what dubious circumstances begin to come up. When a canal like Atir khal, beginning at the Buriganga, passes through a number of trade centres and villages before joining the same river at Kholamara, it is inconceivable that some people will simply pretend it is not there. That being the case, it now becomes important for the authorities to probe the matter and indeed see if some questionable dealings have been going on. On a bigger note, it is now important that a major inquiry be initiated into the easy way in which some housing societies have in recent years claimed lakes and canals as their own and have swiftly moved to build apartments and other edifices on them. We have before us the many instances of unauthorized building structures coming up in the capital despite clear rules being there to prevent such action. We have too cases relating to the corruption involving both builders and a section of dishonest officials and employees at Rajuk in such unauthorized construction. Which is why we suspect similar sinister acts in the matter of a filling in of canals and rivers.
Residents of Waaspur have alleged that the local land office has been behind the making of forged documents in return, of course, for pecuniary benefits. That is a grave charge and one surely cannot be dismissive of it. We urge the authorities, who have lately been vocal about saving rivers and canals from predatory hands, to look into the matter in the greater interest of the local population as well as in the interest of the environment.
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