Previous mayors, CDA chairmen responsible for waterlogging in Ctg : Adviser Faozul Kabir
Chattogram Bureau
Adviser for Bridges, Roads, and Transport Muhammad Faozul Kabir Khan said , "I studied in primary, high school, and college in this city, but I have never seen such waterlogging before."
The adviser held previous mayors and CDA chairmen responsible for the severe waterlogging in Chattogram city.
He made these remarks on Tuesday while inspecting the progress of the excavation and cleaning activities at Birza Canal in Chattogram's Bakalia. The Chattogram Metropolitan Jamaat-e-Islami has been conducting this excavation and cleaning work with its own funds.
In his keynote speech, Muhammad Faozul Kabir Khan said, "We have never seen such waterlogging in Chattogram city before. I studied in primary and high school here and also attended Chattogram College, but I never witnessed such waterlogging. This is entirely a man-made problem. Those who were previous city fathers and CDA chairmen are responsible for creating this issue. Canals were occupied, and homes, offices, and markets were built on them. They failed to fulfill their responsibilities."
He further mentioned that illegal structures built by occupying canals and drains are being demolished. "We want to work together with everyone, but the biggest challenge is that garbage is being dumped back into the canals after cleaning. If this continues, cleaning efforts will be pointless. We have provided around 10,000 dustbins. Waste should only be disposed of in these bins. We have instructed the divisional commissioner to take legal action if waste is not disposed of in the bins. These bins must be taken care of. If a bin goes missing, the responsible area will face fines."
He added, "We will do whatever is necessary to resolve Chattogram's waterlogging problem. Anyone interested in contributing to this work has been given the opportunity. Now, it is the citizens' responsibility to keep the canals clean. If waste continues to be dumped even after excavation, our efforts will be in vain."
Chattogram City Corporation Mayor Dr. Shahadat Hossain said, "We appreciate Jamaat-e-Islami's initiative to clean the canals. We want to work together, regardless of political affiliation."
Shahjahan Chowdhury, the Amir of Metropolitan Jamaat, mentioned that since the project began 24 days ago, 1,800 feet of the 3,000-foot Birza Canal has been cleared. They aim to complete the remaining work before Eid-ul-Azha.
He urged local residents, "Just as you are cooperating now, please continue to support our cleanliness efforts in the future."
The event, moderated by Jamaat-e-Islami's Metropolitan Secretary Principal Muhammad Nurul Amin, was also attended by CDA Chairman Engineer Nurul Karim, CDA Chief Engineer Kazi Hasan Bin Shams, CDA Board Member Engineer Manzar Khorshed, Engineer Mominul Haque, City Assistant Secretary Khairul Bashar, Mohammad Ullah, former Ward Councillor Principal Shamsuzzaman Helali, Labor Welfare Federation City President SM Lutfur Rahman, Jamaat leader Dr. Abu Naser, City Working Committee members Dr. Md. Siddiqur Rahman, Abu Hena Mostafa Kamal, Hamed Hasan Ilahi, Amir Hossain, Bakalia Thana Amir Sultan Ahmad, and Panchlaish Thana Amir Engineer Mahbubur Hasan Rumi, among others.
