No drive to reclaim canals despite fund allocation
July 5, 2008
The Sylhet City Corporation is yet to start canal reclamation drive to bring a solution to water logging problem even six months after allocation of funds by the LGRD and cooperatives ministry.
The ministry allocated Tk 1 crore to reclaim the canals — major nine of them in Uttar Surma and one in Dakkhin Surma areas — which have remained occupied by the illegal encroachers for long, sources in the SCC said.
Several thousands of illegal structures, including dwelling houses, multi-storey commercial complexes, shops and latrines have narrowed down the canals across the city causing sever water logging even after a short spell of rainfall, they said.
The main canals — Malnichhara, Goalichhara, Dhubrichhara, Gavialchhara, Bhubichhara, Manglichhara, Kewachhara, Baithachhara and Baruthkhanachhara — have been fallen into the River Surma from Uttar Surma area and Rangichhara from Dakkhin Surma area in the city.
But most of the canals now exist only in papers as influential quarters, by using their political influences during the regimes of political governments, have constructed permanent structures on and along the canals, sources said.
‘Most of the canals have no physical existence at present as they been encroached on over the years,’ Mokaddes Babul, a senior cultural activist of Mirza Jangal area in the city said.
According to SCC sources, the local government and rural development ministry allocated Tk 1 crore to SCC in the beginning of this year to reclaim the canals and re-excavate them to bring a solution to the water logging problem in the city.
The SCC invited tenders separately for reclamation and renovation of the major and small canals, but no contractors or farms dropped any offer even after inviting tenders for the second time as, according to the sources, the funds against the works mentioned in the tenders were too inadequate.
They, however, received four offers after inviting tender for the third time in the last month.
Talking to New Age, Syed Hosen Jamal, SCC acting chief engineer, said they had received four tender schedules last month after inviting tender for the third time. He also said that work on demarcation of two canals had already been started and the work on two more canals would begin soon.
The canal reclamation drive will begin soon under the project, he said adding that the canals would then be re-excavated in phases.
The SCC mayor in-charge, Azam Khan, said reclamation and re-excavation of the canals would be completed by this fiscal year to improve the drainage system of the city and free it from water logging.
‘Apart from the LGRD ministry’s grant, Tk 10 crore has also been proposed for the purpose in the corporation’s annual budget of the current year,’ he added.
Source: The New Age
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