Photo: Collected
A joint eviction and waste-removal drive was carried out on Monday along the banks of the Buriganga River in the Islambagh area, which falls under the Lalbagh and Kamrangirchar police stations of Dhaka. The coordinated drive was conducted as part of implementing a High Court directive.
During the drive, nearly 100 tonnes of plastic and other waste were removed from both banks of the river and 50 illegal structures were demolished. Two excavators and five dump trucks were deployed for the work.
An application had been filed in continuation of a writ petition lodged by Human Rights and Peace for Bangladesh. In response to that application, the High Court on 2 September directed that waste be removed from the area and cleanliness ensured. A committee formed with representatives of the agencies concerned took the initiative to implement the directive and carried out the drive.
BIWTA, the Dhaka district administration, Dhaka South City Corporation and the Department of Environment led the drive. Present at the scene were BIWTA Joint Director Mobarak Hossain Majumder, Executive Magistrate Ashraf Uddin, Lalbagh Assistant Commissioner (Land) Md Aminul Islam and Md Tarikul Islam, inspector at the Dhaka Metropolitan office of the Department of Environment. Officials and staff of the agencies concerned, members of the police and river police, and journalists were also at the site.
The coordinated drive will continue until the work of controlling pollution in the Buriganga, removing plastic and other waste, and evicting illegal structures is fully completed.
