Mirpur's Paris canal will be revived : Mayor Atiqul

Dhaka North City Corporation (DNCC) Mayor Atiqul Islam said on Friday that measures are being taken to revive Mirpur's Paris Canal, which has turned into a dumping ground for garbage.

"We have commenced the cleaning of the Paris Canal as previously announced. Initially, our focus is on ensuring the water flow in the Paris Canal, which has unfortunately become a repository for waste," he said while participating in the cleanliness campaign.

The DNCC has initiated the cleaning process of the Mirpur Paris Road canal as per the earlier declaration made by Mayor Atiqul Islam. Around 1,200 volunteers from BD Clean have joined hands to support this effort.

The cleanup initiative commenced at the Canal on Friday morning.

The mayor mentioned that the measurement of the land on the canal has already started.

"The buildings within the canal will be demolished. There are some establishments in the canal. The residents have been given one month to vacate.  If I wanted, I could have bulldozed everything today, but I did not and gave them time. If not done in time, eviction campaign will be carried out," he said.

During his visit to the Mirpur Paris Canal on Wednesday, the DNCC mayor declared the commencement of cleanliness operations and the removal of illegal structures. 

"Mirpur's Paris Canal will be restored to its original condition by eliminating dirt and encroachments," he said.

The mayor said that the fact that what was once a navigable canal has now become a dumping ground.

"Volunteers spontaneously came forward to clean the canal on their day off. These young people could have spent their time playing or resting at home today. However, they chose to participate in cleaning the canal instead of indulging in leisure activities. I encourage local residents to learn from this and refrain from dumping garbage into the canal," he said.

"After reclaiming 40 feet of space in the canal, we will construct a walkway there. Subsequently, if space permits on both sides, we aim to establish a beautiful park," he added.