Parliamentary Standing Committee on the Ministry of Shipping, Bangladesh, Recommendation to take action against illegal river occupants
By Zeba Tarannum
The parliamentary committee has recommended working in coordination through the consultation group to identify the illegal river occupants and take legal action against them. The recommendation made by the Standing Committee on the Ministry of Shipping in a meeting held on December 6, 2020, at the Parliament House.
Committee members Ranjit Kumar Rai, Dr Shamil Uddin Ahmed Shimul, Md. Aslam Hossain Saudagar and S M Shahjada attended the meeting chaired by the committee president Major Rafiqul Islam (Retd.) Bir Uttam.
It was were discussed the activities and plans of the National River Conservation Commission, Overall activities of Bangladesh Marine Academy, and the overall activities of the National Maritime Institute at the meeting.
It was also discussed how the rivers are getting extinct due to illegal occupation and making obstruction caused by unawareness garbage dumping and intentional environmental pollution, illegal construction of infrastructure by irregular filling of rivers, canals, swamps, reservoirs, etc.
After discussing the matter elaborately, the committee formed a parliamentary sub-committee was created due to the problem/slowness in rescuing the rivers by the National Conservation Commission.
The sub-committee will report on inspecting the spot. A four-member sub-committee was formed with committee member Ranjit Kumar Rai as the convener and Dr Shamil Uddin Ahmed Shimul, Md. Aslam Hossain Saudagar and S M Shahjada as the members.
Mohammad Mezbah Uddin Chowdhury, Secretary of the Ministry of Shipping, the Chairman of the National River Conservation Committee, Commandant of the Marine Academy, Principal of the National Maritime Institute, and the concerned persons from the Ministry and Parliament Secretariat were present at the meeting.
