Encroachers have filled up this portion of the Gulshan Lake near Niketan despite widespread protests by local residents and a Supreme Court order to stop it.Photo: STAR

Influential encroachers still continue filling up parts of the Gulshan-Banani-Baridhara lake at different points as the government sits idle only to watch environmental disasters in near future.
Different developers, industrialists, lawmakers, former bureaucrats and anyone with good ties with the government high-ups are grabbing the lake almost every day. In many circumstances these encroachers even forged papers of the pricey pieces of land in connivance with the authorities concerned.
Some officials of the Rajdhani Unnayan Kartripakkha (Rajuk) are helping the grabbers to get clearance for construction on the encroached parts of the lake. This remains an open practice for years, but the government is always indifferent to take action against it.
"We've been protesting this ill practice for years, but it seems no laws work for some people. They have already encroached on land worth a few a thousand crores taka," says Zahurul Islam Chowdhury, general secretary of Gulshan Society, an organisation of the residents of the posh area.
The Gulshan-Banani lake works as a flood retention pond in the capital. Besides, it serves as a major source for recharging groundwater and also relief for dwellers in the densely populated chaotic city.
Moreover, the lake plays a very important role of cooling the city environment.
Earlier in 2001, the government announced the lake as an ecologically critical area (ECA) to save it. But the move did not make any difference due to lack of coordination and corruption by the land, law and Rajuk officials.
The lake has already turned into an ecologically dead water body despite the government announcement thanks to rampant encroachment.
The Supreme Court and the High Court had earlier issued several orders to save the lake from encroachers. But the court orders saw little change in attitudes in everyone concerned.
During recent visits it was seen parts of the lake was being filled up with rubble. A number of signboards were also erected in the lake water claiming 'ownership' of that certain piece of land.
Developers in Niketon are carrying out construction on the very edge of the lake. They have gobbled up at least 10-15 feet of the lake area filling it with the rubble of the construction.
Earlier, the grabbers have filled up portions of lake beside the Roads 21, 22, 23, 24, 55, 105, 118, 136, said the Gulshan Society at a recent press conference. It also demanded that the government recover the lake from the grabbers.
According to the existing Wetland, Open Space, Park Conservation Act, 2000, filling up of a lake without permission of the authorities concerned is a punishable offence. The violators are subject to a fine of Tk 50,000 with five years' jail sentence.
Many grabbers filed cases with the courts when the government agencies went to stop them. A Rajuk source says around 100 cases are pending in the High Court about 'ownership' of the lake land.
"As the land is very expensive, the grabbers are always ready to bribe the government officials. Sometimes they even resort to the laws to take possession of the grabbed land as Rajuk is not always interested to recover the land," comments the source.
Officials say sometimes Rajuk gets back the grabbed land if they fought the legal battle properly. But no grabbers were ever punished under the existing laws.
The Rajuk started building a walkway around the bank of the lake on the western side in October 2004. But the walkway is yet to be completed and its construction is rather facilitating the grabbers.
Following a writ the High Court on February 15, 2000 served an injunction and gave directives to Rajuk for removing the earth used for filling the lake between Rds 118-123 location.
Moreover, the Supreme Court in 1998 gave a judgement not to fill any parts of the lake for the purpose of building roads and houses and not to disturb the greenery of the natural lake under any circumstances.
But no-one seems to obey the court orders at all.