Housing and Public Works Minister Engineer Mosharraf Hossain yesterday announced that the capital’s Hatirjheel-Begunbari lake would be connected with the Gulshan-Banani lake under an ongoing development project.
He made the announcement after inaugurating a cleanliness campaign at the Hatirjheel-Begunbari Integrated Development Project area.
Mosharraf started the campaign by sweeping a portion of a road himself to raise awareness on waste management at the newly developed thoroughfare and recreational place.
“The Hatirjheel lake will be connected with the Gulshan-Banani lake development project, for which Tk400 crore has already been allocated,” said Mosharraf Hossain.
The minister, however, made no comment on removal of illegal structures from the water body.
Saying that rules introduced to ensure cleanliness of the recreational area were not being followed, he said: “Awareness among the public for following the rules needs to be created. Visitors should be used to dumping waste at specific points.”
Mosharraf said the cleanness campaigns will also introduced in other parks and recreational places of the capital so that visitors can move freely and comfortably there.
The long-awaited Tk2,300 crore Hatirjheel-Begunbari project was made open to the public in January last year.
However, the lake lost its appeal due to the continuous dumping of wastes and sewage water, which turned the canal water pitch black and filled the area with a strong stench.
Although the initial design of the Hatirjheel-Begunbari lake development project includes setting up of a waste treatment plant, the plant has not been installed over the past two years.
Meanwhile, the Rajdhani Unnayan Kartripakkha (Rajuk) has not been able to shift two religious establishments and a two-storey building from Hatirjheel-Begunbari lake although the Dhaka deputy commissioner’s office had already arranged alternative land for these structures.
Earlier, the city planner had announced to evict these structures to preserve the environment and beauty of the water body after the DC office manages alternative land.
Rajuk has conducted several eviction drives on different occasions since 2007 when the Hatirjheel and Begunbari canal development project began but could not move the respective structures elsewhere considering religious sentiments.
Besides, Rajuk failed to take action against the 15-storey building of Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGMEA) because of legal complications.