When Chattogram Deputy Commissioner Abul Bashar Mohammad Fakhruzzaman was asked about this on Saturday, he told Prothom Alo that they have removed some establishments as per the guidelines of the meeting.
Regarding Badalpura Mauza, he said that before confirming whether the district administration has any land in that area or not, they will have to see the documents.
An attempt was made to contact Minister of State for Shipping Khalid Mahmood Chowdhury on Saturday to know about the Karnaphuli dry dock, but he could not be contacted.
Supreme Court lawyer Manzil Morshed has been fighting a legal battle for river conservation for a long time. He told Prothom Alo that the port authority is not above the law of Bangladesh.
The port authority cannot give the Karnaphuli river to anyone citing law. Meanwhile, the decision of the Ministry has made it clear that they have stood with the encroachers. The ministry should have taken a stand for the river.
Karnaphuli dry dock owner Abdur Rashid told Prothom Alo that about 14 billion taka is being spent on the dry dock. Out of that, 8 billion taka were received from the loan of the World Bank. The dry dock is 305 meters long and 16 meters deep. Ships up to 260 meters long can enter there.
Karnaphuli Dry Dock is basically another full-fledged port inside the Chattogram port area. Sea-going ships will be able to stop there, there will also be jetties and arrangements to store huge containers. Once it opens, this place will be crowded with ships.
Chairman of the National River Conservation Commission, Manzoor Ahmed Chowdhury, commented that the Shipping Ministry, Chittagong Port Authority and the district administration have jointly taken a stand against the illegal encroachers.
“One does not need to be an expert to understand that this dry dock has been constructed on river and bank land,” he told Prothom Alo.
“We have strictly examined all kinds of records and designs and found that the construction of this dry dock is completely illegal, which is against the existing law of the country and the order of the High Court,” he said.
