Bangladesh Inland Water Transport Authority (BIWTA) has been directed to file criminal cases against those involved in contaminating the river and grabbing river lands.
The deputy commissioners (DC) of concerned districts are also directed to take steps in this regard.
The taskforce on river protection led by Shipping Minister Shajahan Khan gave the order to the authorities concerned at a meeting of the taskforce held at his ministry conference room on Tuesday.
After the meeting, Shajahan Khan told reporters the taskforce had also directed the local administration to operate eviction drives and remove illegal structures by ruling party's arrested lawmaker Golam Quader Rony in Golachipa.
"The illegal infrastructures of the lawmaker will be removed and the sands that he occupied will also be removed. The local administration will take further steps on it,"" he added.
The taskforce had decided to stop the dumping of household and industry wastages in Buriganga by sewerage line, the minister said, adding that the concerned householders or industry owners would take steps to built preservers to dump wastages, so the authorities concerned can collect them later.
"They will have to do it within seven days. Otherwise, the BIWTA will take legal actions against those owners under criminal law," the minister said.
Regarding shifting of tannery industries to Savar, Shajahan Khan said: "Though tannery owners sought compensations from the government in this regard, the taskforce think they should not get it. We have suggested the BIWTA to block the channels for throwing wastages, if they are not interested to go to Savar."
The minister also said the authorities had received complaints on setting up boundary pillars in Buriganga. The meeting directed the DC's to examine those complaints and relocate the pillars, he added.
