Gomti River is called as the life of Comilla. The name of this river is connected with the passion and love of the people of Comilla. Thousands of people still rush to Gomti when they get leisure. Currently, instead of clean air, people's noses are filled with polluted dust. This river is in the face of disaster due to cutting of fodder with endangered environment.
It was known that the length of Gomti river is 120 km, out of which 17 km with origin is in Tripura part of India. The remaining 103 km has passed through five upazilas of Comilla- Adarsh Sadar, Burichong, Devidwar, Muradnagar and Daudkandi. Vegetables and fruits were grown in this 103 km area. But now that familiar scene is no longer seen.
Comilla Adarsh Sadar and Burichong areas of Gomti can be seen on the surface, the land grabbers have cut the entire pasture from Sadar upazila's Tikkachar to Bhantir Char of Burichong. No space between these areas has been left vacant. The embankments on both sides of the river collapsed due to the pressure of additional soil-carrying trucks. Embankments were cut in some places. From several points of the river, the scene of truckloads of cut soil can be seen.
Talking to the locals, it was known that with the connivance of some public representatives, brick kilns owners bought grazing land from the landowners. The soil is cut with a veku machine. The soil is cut so deeply that the adjacent land also collapses in the monsoons; Due to which the landowners were forced to sell the land. It has been found that in the last fiscal year, Comilla district administration conducted 58 operations to stop cutting of Gomti soil. Many are sentenced through mobile courts. Apart from this, the mobile court team is on patrol day and night.
Khan Mohammad Waliuzzaman, Executive Engineer of Comilla Water Development Board said, rivers, mountains, reservoirs are under the jurisdiction of the district administration. We look at the technical aspects. If the district administration wants us to contribute to the protection of Gomti, we will help in that case.
Comilla Additional Deputy Commissioner (General) Pankaj Barua said, our operation is continuing. Action is being taken wherever we get the news of soil cutting.
ARS
