Councillors involved in canal grabbing will lose their posts: Mayor Atiqul

Dhaka North Mayor Mohammad Atiqul Islam has warned that any councillor found guilty of occupying a canal or committing a crime, will lose their councillorship.

"If it is proven that a councillor has occupied a canal or is involved with it directly or indirectly, the councillorship will be cancelled," the mayor said. He did so after inaugurating a newly excavated canal following illegal establishments being demolished on Khidir Canal in the sluice gate area of ​​Uttara's Sector 11 on Friday.

Instructing Rajuk and other government organisations, the mayor said, "Change your mentality. Plots are being allocated one after another, even on canals, but there is no dumping yard. We have to think about keeping the canals unoccupied so that their normal flow continues."

"I request all government agencies to look at the CS map, RS map and metropolitan survey as well as visit the area before allocating any land because people will suffer if land is allocated without reviewing the required documents," the mayor added.

During the inspection of the integrated mosquito eradication operation last Tuesday, illegal structures in the Khidir Canal area were demolished, the canal was dredged and the water flow was restored.

Even three days ago, this canal did not exist. An organisation had built a sales office on the canal which was demolished by the Dhaka North authorities, Atiqul said.

Earlier, the mayor inaugurated the clean-up drive at Mohammadpur Eidgah Ground organised by BD Clean. As many as 1,800 volunteers of BD Clean are cleaning the garbage of Ward 31 of Dhaka North all day long.

Inaugurating the clean-up operation, the mayor said it will not be accepted if people throw waste here and there and blame the authorities.

"You keep your house clean but throw the garbage out. Shops throw garbage into the sewerage drains. You will throw dirt outside, and BD Clean will clean it, which cannot continue," he added.

On the occasion of Mujib Year, the mayor announced that Dhaka North will present a tree sapling with each birth certificate.

He hopes that if parents plant a tree in the name of every child, there will be no shortage of oxygen in Dhaka city.