Gulshan Lake
Work on bridge, walkway to begin this winter
Approval of PCP awaited to begin construction by next winter
Tawfique Ali
Rajuk intends to begin construction of walkway and six bridges across Gulshan-Baridhara lake demolishing existing link roads to protect the lake from pollution and encroachment provided the project gets planning commission nod, said one of its officials."We hope to begin construction by this winter and are awaiting the planning commission's approval of the Project Concept Paper (PCP)," said the official. He said that a Tk 100 crore PCP, comprising two components- bridge and walkway-- has been submitted to the planning commission. The expenditure for the construction of the bridge has been estimated between Tk 30 to Tk 35 crore. However, Rajuk Chief Engineer Emdadul Islam expressed his skepticism on when the project might get approval and said that it has been three years since the PCP was submitted. As to why bridges were not built at the very inception, the Rajuk official said issues of encroachment and pollution were not so pressing at the time the link roads were constructed 20 to 30 years ago. Professor Muzaffer Ahmad of Bangladesh Paribesh Andolon (Bapa), an environmentalist association, said that it is crucial to ascertain the line of demarcation of the lake first according to the original mouja map to save the water body. "Whether bridge will serve any environmental purpose or not depends on the very design and other technicalities of such structure," he said. "In case they cause sedimentation in the lake, they will not serve the purpose for which they will be built," he added. The Rajuk official said that the designated engineering consultants would draw the design and it would be visually attractive. He also said that bridge in place of roads would facilitate uninterrupted flow of the lake water and prevent sedimentation. Land grabbers sometimes take advantage of sediment or waste deposit along the bank to encroach into lake. The idea of building bridges over the Gulshan lake and other water bodies as well is to keep structural obstacle to a minimum so that the lake can be saved from choking and pollution, said Bapa general secretary Abu Naser Khan. The walkway along the bank must be constructed on poles like wooden culvert without earth filling the lake further, in a discontinued manner. If otherwise, the work will choke the lake further and continued walkway will invite vagabonds, peddlers, muggers and prostitutes to abuse it. "The authorities have to coordinate the work along with other anti-encroachment measures as a partial job will not serve the purpose," he said.
| 
