Home Affairs Advisor Lieutenant General (Retd.) Md. Jahangir Alam Chowdhury has said that land robbers will be dealt with sternly. They will not be given any concessions. All of them must be brought under the law.
He said this as the chief guest at the inauguration of the first phase of the project to re-excavate the traditional Shubhadhya Canal in Keraniganj and develop and protect both banks of the canal on Tuesday (August 26, 2025) morning.
He also said, “I used to come to Dhaka from my birthplace Sirajdikhan through this canal.”
The condition of this canal is no longer the same. The canal was very important to the people of the area in the past for livelihood and environmental balance, for water discharge, and for agricultural use.
But over time, waste mismanagement, obstruction of water flow, continuous dumping and the arbitrariness of some local land grabbers have gradually destroyed the effectiveness of the canal.
The Home Affairs Advisor said, “The traditional canal of water flow in this area is facing threat today. At one time, the canal was the connection of the Buriganga and Dhaleshwari rivers and had become a sanctuary for indigenous fish. At one time, boats could ply through the canal, fish could be caught and the canal water could be used for agricultural purposes. However, this canal is now completely filled with waste and polythene. It is very sad that some parts of the canal have been filled in such a way that it is difficult to walk across. The existence of this 7-kilometer-long beautiful canal is currently on the verge of extinction.”
He said, “If the canal is rescued, the water will flow. Biodiversity will return. We have to keep an eye on the canal water so that it is not polluted again. Everyone should be careful that no unscrupulous land grabbers can occupy the canal by mistake. A strong social movement should be developed against the canal grabbers.
Environment, Forest and Climate Change Advisor Syeda Rizwana Hasan said, “The canal is filled with plastic.
Big buildings have been built on both banks of the canal. We talked to the army and gave them this task. This canal is not like other canals. From an environmental perspective, this canal has a different importance.
It is being considered to dig the canal deeper. And to prevent illegal encroachment, both banks of the canal will have to be cast.
Among others present at the inauguration ceremony were Dhaka North City Corporation Administrator Mohammad Ejaz, Army Headquarters Engineer-in-Chief Major General Mohammad Hasan Uzzaman, Dhaka Divisional Commissioner Sharif Uddin Ahmed, Water Resources Ministry Director Enayet Ullah Chowdhury, Dhaka Deputy Commissioner Tanvir Ahmed, Keraniganj Upazila Executive Officer Rinat Fouzia and others.
The cost of this project has been set at Tk 317 crore. The first phase of this project is for a period of one year.
Source: BSS.
