Bangladesh pushes fair access to water bodies, reviews jalmahal leases.
Land Minister Md. Mizanur Rahman Minu today said all people have equal rights to water bodies as it is a public property.
"'Jal jar jola tar' meaning any individual can fish in the water bodies,” he told the 90th meeting of the committee on leasing government water bodies (jalmahals) at the Ministry of Land at Bangladesh Secretariat here.
State Minister for Land Barrister Mir Mohammad Helal Uddin and Senior Secretary of the ministry ASM Saleh Ahmed, along with other senior officials from the ministry and related departments were also present at the meeting.
Addressing the meeting, the minister said that the authorities must move toward fair and sustainable management of water bodies, aiming to protect public interest, the environment and the livelihoods of the poor communities.
Referring to the government’s election manifesto, he reiterated their (government) commitment to the principle “Jal jar jola tar”. He noted that there had been significant irregularities in leasing water bodies in the past. In this regard, he instructed the Deputy Commissioner of Sunamganj to quickly send the proposed list to the ministry after consulting local public representatives.
State Minister Barrister Mir Mohammad Helal Uddin said that the recommendations regarding the jalmahal leases coming from districts need to be reviewed. He stressed that proposals should be examined in line with the existing laws and policies, in consultation with local Members of Parliament, to ensure an inclusive process without any loopholes.
At the meeting, proposals related to jalmahal leases in Sunamganj district were presented. Additionally, a proposal to excavate the Bill Churil (closed) jalmahal in Chapainawabganj district was also approved.
