The existence of the Kopotakkho, the once mighty river upholding the memory of Michael Madhusudan Dutta, is almost at stake now, thanks to unscrupulous land grabbers and lack of surveillance by the authorities concerned.
The illegal construction of buildings and business centres on its river bank is, however, occurring right under the nose of the local administration and a group of influential people, alleged locals.
Kopotakkho River flows through 20 upazilas, 10 city councils and 95 unions under seven districts. Around 23km of it flows from Jessore’s Chougachha upazila to Chhutipur.
In Chougaccha, influential locals have constructed establishments in Narayanpur, Petbhora, Tengurpur, Kongsharipur, Digholshingha, Mashila, Kodomtola, and Kabilpur by illegally grabbing lands on the river bank.
These establishments include multi-storey buildings as well.
Local sources said a local politician named MA Salam has constructed buildings in the area along the bridge in Chougaccha Bazar. They “managed” the local residents and set up slums over there. Moreover, the bamboos piled at several points in the area block the river’s normal flow.
However, denying the allegations, MA Salam said: “I am against river encroachment. The household that I have built are on my paternal properties. And the remaining seven acres of land were leased to me by the district council.”
Shahnur Alam, a Chougaccha resident, said: “Influential locals have encroached on the lands along the river. They indiscriminately grab lands and construct houses there. Some use the river for fish breeding.”
The famous river must be saved from the encroachers right away, demanded several local residents.
A fisherman of the area, Amol Kumar, said: “The condition of the river has changed now. The government releases fish in the river every year. But the influential locals, with the aid of politicians, use the river for fish breeding. The poor fishermen cannot avail those fish. No one is monitoring the situation.”
Tipu Sultan, assistant professor of geography and environment department of ABC College in Chougaccha, said: “The flow of the Kopotakkho is shrinking everyday. Besides sand-filling, illegal grabbing of the river bank also goes on unabated. If the situation continues like this, soon the river will die.”
If the river is not there, the life of people living by it will be adversely affected. The ecology will also lose balance. Therefore, necessary steps should be taken to restore the flow of the Kopotakkho, he said.
