A group of local influential people have continued to grab Zia Khal (canal) in Moheshpur upazila headquarters although it plays a vital role in the lives of the residents of nearby villages.

The villages include Kanaidanga, Rakhalbhog, Fatepur, Krishnochandrapur, Purandapur, Saratala and Goalhuda

The grabbers have built a number of structures by occupying different parts of the 100-km-long canal.

A local influential person named Sazzad Hossain has recently built a house and sawmill by grabbing a portion of the canal, alleged villagers.

Although local administration, on information, demolished the establishments, Sazzad continued dumping garbage into the canal to grab it, they said.

Meanwhile, Fatepur area is being polluted too as the nearby villagers dump household wastes into the canal.

Locals said the canal was dug from Fatepur to the Kadobak river in the upazila. The then president Ziaur Rahman inaugurated the canal and since then it has been known as Zia Khal.

During monsoon, rainwater of the villages falls into the river through the canal, they said.

If the canal is filled up with tonnes of garbage, flow of water is badly disrupted and due to this, the croplands in the areas remain submerged during the rainy season, causing immense sufferings to farmers.

At present, a group of local influential people have built a mosque on the canal, said the villagers, adding that a major portion of the water body have also been brought under cultivation by the grabbers.   

Arafat Hossain, a resident of Saratala village, said the land grabbers have continued to occupy the canal but the authorities concerned are yet to take any major steps to stop grabbing of the water body.

Sazzad said no establishments were built on the canal after the house and sawmill was demolished by local land office.

He will remove the garbage from the area soon, said Sazzad.

Sirazul Islam, an official of Fatepur union land office, said they have stopped construction of the illegal structures on the canal.

If anybody tries to build any establishments on the canal, they will take action, he said.