Green activists on Saturday demanded immediate cancellation of the Demra housing project, which grabbed ‘chhota dighi’, the only clean water source for the local people.
They also urged the government to implement the Detailed Area Plan immediately at a press briefing, jointly organised by Bangladesh Paribesh Andolan and inhabitants of Demra, at the Dhaka Reporters’ Unity, said a press release.
The activists said the inhabitants of the villages near the water-body — Kamargop, Noraibagh and Demra — depend much on the water of the water body as they cannot use the polluted water of the River Balu.
About 20,000 inhabitants of the area use the water-body for household works, they said.
The speakers said a playground and graveyard were situated beside the water-body and added that thousands of guest birds come to the spot every winter.
They also informed that in 1952 the government acquired about 54.62 acres of land from the inhabitants of Demra to establish industries.
They said a company named ‘Textile Ministry Officer-Employee Multiple Cooperative Association Limited’ illegally bought half of the land at a throwaway price with the help of a section of textile ministry officials and tried to construct buildings there by filling the water-body.
They alleged that the company violated the DAP, Wetland and Open Space Protection Act, 2000 and Bangladesh Environment Protection Act (recommended), 2010 by filing the water-land.
They further added that a Dhaka court issued an injunction on the filling of the water-body on October 14, 2010.
BAPA’s president Professor Mozaffer Ahmad, general secretary Mohammad Abdul Matin and local people of Demra were also present at the programme.
