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JRC project to protect riverbanks on Sylhet border unfinished

Iqbal Siddiquee, sylhet
The Joint River Commission's (JRC) project for protecting riverbanks on the Sylhet-Assam border and saving the country's territory from depletion has remained mostly incomplete although its three-year schedule ended on 30 June this year.
Only Tk 7.6 crore was given in three years against the total sanction of Tk 21 crore for the project.
"The project is extremely important for saving the country's border as a 26-kilometre stretch along the midstream of Surma and 30 kilometres on Kushiyara is officially considered the border line with India. Continuous erosion on the Bangladesh sides of the rivers is causing depletion of our territory," said Shailen Chandra Paul, executive engineer of Water Development Board (WDB) in Sylhet.
During the last 20 years Bangladesh has lost at least 150 acres of land at Amolshid point, where the Indian Barak River, bifurcating as Surma and Kushiara, enters Bangladesh.
With recurrent erosion on Amolshid point of the rivers due to strong current during monsoon, new patches of landmass has appeared on the Indian side where Indian Border Security Force has constructed observation towers.
“If measures are not taken, erosion on other points like Haidrabond, Sharifganj, Bhuiyarmura and Bhoktipur would take serious turn just with the start of receding water when erosion is usually triggered by strong current,” said the WDB official.
Although the three-year project was officially launched in 2009-2010, it took the authorities a year to hand over the first installment of Tk 2.75 crore. It was
followed by another installment of only Tk 4.85 crore in 201 1-2012, officials informed.
Now two-year extension is being considered for completing the works, said Abdul Kalam Azad, superintending engineer, WDB, Sylhet, told this correspondent.
Late funding along with the contractors' lack of interest due to remote location of the project work and uncertainty in payment caused delay in the work, officials said, adding that the delay will surely lead to cost escalation and further loss of our territory, said an official.
WDB Executive Engineer of Sylhet Shailen Chandra Paul said, "Works were hampered mainly due to poor response from contractors. As for example, tender was called recently for the third time for Tk 4 crore JRC's protection work at Haidrabond on Kushiyara riverbank.
The works will be taken
up when the ongoing monsoon is over, he said.
In two years, WDB did some work to partially build the Kushiara dyke but it is only 3.5 and a half kilometres long against the targeted 12 km. Due to delay in implementation of the project, erosion took its toll at places reducing the country's territory on the border areas, sources said.
But on the other side of the border, the Water Resources Division in Assam has already completed necessary protection works.
The whole programme was earlier finalised at a joint meeting of officials of the WDB, Sylhet region, and the officials of the Water Resources Division of Karimganj, Assam. Besides, the year-wise work plan was exchanged at an additional chief engineerlevel meeting at WDB Rest House at Zakiganj borders in October 2010.