Mansur Pabna Correspondent: Due to legal issues in the lower court, the excavation of the Ichamati River in Pabna city has been progressing slowly. In particular, the 5-kilometer stretch of the river within the city is facing more challenges. Sources indicate that there are currently 98 cases pending in the lower court concerning the excavation and clearing of the Ichamati River in Pabna city. Nevertheless, it is anticipated that these cases will be resolved shortly. Last Saturday, July 5, Mohammad Rafiqul Islam, the Joint Secretary of the Bangladesh Water Resources Ministry, visited Pabna to assess the situation of the Ichamati River, inspecting the area from Singa Crematorium Ghat to Bhomra Kol. He also held discussions with river stakeholders in the conference room of the Pabna District Administrator. It is important to note that previously, Syeda Rizwana Hasan, the Honorable Advisor to the Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate Change and Water Resources, had sent Mahfuza Akhter, Joint Secretary of the Ministry of Water Resources, to Pabna on April 9 to address the complexities surrounding the cases in the lower court related to the Ichamati River. She engaged with stakeholders to facilitate the resolution of these ongoing cases and took the case documents back to the ministry. Before leaving Pabna, she urged the Pabna Water Development Board to appoint a lawyer. In this regard, the Water Development Board appointed Abul Hossain Joarder, Senior Lawyer of the George Court, to represent them in the resolution of the 98 cases. With the directive from the Honorable High Court Division, it is expected that the lower court cases will be settled soon, allowing the excavation and demolition work of the Ichamati River to commence in the city.Meanwhile, the work of cleaning and removing garbage, mud and silt from the Ichamati River has started in Pabna city since July 1. Sources say that this cleaning and removal work is ongoing at four points in the city. These four points are – Singa Crematorium Ghat, Singa Rail Bridge-Bish^Road Bridge, Singa next to Kazi Alam’s Mosque and Atua-Krishnapur area. A total of 20 excavators and about 100 garbage trucks are working on this work. Saidul Alam, Project Manager of MS Ahad Builders, told the reporter that the river dredging work will continue even during the monsoon season. 18 excavators in the Sutikhali channel, 08 in the Ichamati River Ekdanta area and 07 excavators in the Gayeshpur area are currently dredging the river. However, due to the complexity of 98 cases in the lower court regarding river dredging in the city, the cleaning and removal work is ongoing as an alternative. It is also known from reliable sources that contractors have been appointed for the construction/reconstruction of 23 bridges in this mega project of the Ichamati River. The design work of the bridges is ongoing and soil tests are currently underway. The soil tests of 4 bridges out of the 23 bridges have already been completed. It is expected that the work of the rest will also be completed very soon. However, it was said that the bridge work will start as soon as the design of the bridge is received.

It is important to highlight that the Ichamati River Revitalization Mega Project encompasses river excavation activities spanning 110 kilometers, the development of 10 kilometers of walkways along both banks of the river within the city, the construction of retaining walls, drainage systems, 56 ghatlas, and beautification efforts involving the planting of 42,310 trees. The overall slope of the river excavation has been decreased to 11.5 meters. The water level throughout the Ichamati River has been lowered to 25.7 meters. However, in areas where the river widens, such as CS Manchitra, there will be an increase in water volume. The execution of the Ichamati River project has been segmented into six distinct slots, with contractors appointed for each segment. The contractor company, MS Ahad Builders, is responsible for the excavation work, which is overseen by the 24 Engineer Construction Brigade of the Bangladesh Army. The completion deadline for this project is set for 31 March 2027. A budget allocation of 1,554 crore taka has been designated for this significant initiative aimed at revitalizing the Ichamati River.