Gournadi Upazila Nirbahi Officer (UNO) Bipin Chandra Biswas has said that the local authorities were taking initiatives to stop the construction of a multi-storey commercial building by illegally occupying a government canal.
A local influential person, District Judge Nurul Islam Sardar, is constructing the building forming shade with a cloth-fence by the side of the canal at Nathoi area of Gournadi in Barisal.
No one from the locality had the courage to speak against it out of fear.
UNO Bipin Chandra Biswas said: “I have sent the local tahsildar (official) there and asked them to stop the construction work after receiving information.”
Two illegal structures constructed will be demolished soon by the upazila administration, he added.
Journalists visiting the area on Wednesday afternoon saw that the canal was flowing along the road on the western side adjacent to Shaheed Abdur Rab Serniabat Textile Institute of Nathai village.
Habib Sardar, the elder brother of Nurul Islam, is illegally constructing the multi-storey commercial building in the canal with the help of another Sujan Sardar of the same family.
The work of casting the ground floor has already been completed.
Also, on the western side of the building, Nurul Islam is illegally occupying the canal in the area adjacent to the Sardar Bari Bridge of the same canal.
They are constructing a multi-storey building for a memorial foundation office called "Majeed Sardar Memorial Trust" named after their deceased father.