Bangladesh Water Development Board is carrying out activities to dig the noteworthy and important canals of Sonaimuri Upazila to maintain the flow of water under the irrigation project. Excavation work is going on under the principle of partial excavation, partial protection, with the cooperation of the concerned departments, contractors and local political circles. Canal Khekora has come up to protect the canal banks, shops, businesses, multi-storied buildings built by closing the canal. Excavation of 4.350 km canal from Sonaimuri Jhor pool of upazila to Chhatarpaia border eastwards at a cost of Tk 97.77 lakh. The activities are taken by the concerned Water Development Board. A contractor named M/s Yunus & Brothers got the canal digging done. After various pretexts and time wastage, excavation work started from Chhatarpaya border towards Sonaimuri Jhorpul towards the west. Excavation is only nominally done with the excavator machine. Extortion of money from illegal encroachers against the contractor for the protection of commercial establishments, structures and buildings on the bank of the canal and free felling of trees, excavated soil without dumping it on the banks and selling it to various persons without the knowledge of the public and disregarding the government soil management policy. There are complaints. During the on-site investigation, it is known from the local farmers, conscious circles and common people that the excavation work was stopped when it reached 500 meters before the Sonaimuri Johrpool by protecting the various structures and buildings of the squatters on the bank of the canal in exchange of a large sum of money.
The local influentials have become desperate to protect the various buildings and structures constructed by occupying the canal in the Jord Pool area. There is a lot of talk of setting up a fund of crores of rupees at the rate of 7/8 hundred rupees per square feet for the protection of buildings constructed on government canal sites. Excavation work has been hampered and stalled due to khal khekod. Locals complain that some dishonest people of the Water Development Board are working because the contractor is going. At the very beginning of the canal excavation, there were allegations of various irregularities against the contractor. The influential people took possession of the canal by illegally building it. That’s why if the name of the canal was only on paper and the existence of the canal was covered, many lost! To restore the existence of the canal, if the illegally occupied canal is recovered, the farmers will get the benefit of water irrigation in the agricultural land. Otherwise, the money of the state will be wasted and lost in the name of canal digging. Farmers said that whatever is public welfare will disrupt the desired development and will not be of any use. If someone protested about such irregularities, the people of the contracting organization threatened by introducing various leaders.
Local farmer Md. Iqbal and some others said that at the beginning of the canal excavation, the Noakhali Water Development Board office, on the bank of the canal, miked to evacuate the illegal structures occupied by the marked canal, but the canal was protected by the contractor by taking a total amount of money from the illegal occupants. digging Among these, some local activists and contractors are looting huge benefits. There is no one to see this? On Monday, May 8, at 11 o’clock in Chatkhil – Sonamuri Constituency Member of Parliament HM Ibrahim (MP), Sonaimuri Municipal Mayor Nurul Haque Chowdhury, Upazila A’League President Mominul Islam (Baker), local Ward Councilor Abu Bakar Siddique (Hafez). Dulal), along with Noakhali Water Development Board Sub-Divisional Engineer Aakash Dutta inspected the canal digging activities. At that time, local farmers, businessmen, political figures and people of various professions were present. In response to the public demand and journalists’ questions, HM Ibrahim MP said that the canal digging program of Chatkhil Sonaimuri upazila will be guaranteed 100% for agricultural development, free flow of water. Significant and important canals of Chatkhil area have been excavated in the past. Similarly every canal in Sonaimuri area is at the end of excavation. There will be no stagnation in canal digging in Jorpul area. The rest of the activities will be completed in coordination with the District Commissioner, Water Development Board and concerned ministries.
