Farmers in Satkhira’s Shyamnagar protested alleged destruction of cropland during canal excavation, demanding transparency, compensation and an immediate halt to what they described as unplanned and discriminatory project implementation.
Farmers and residents in Bangladesh’s southwestern Satkhira district staged a human chain and protest on Sunday, accusing authorities of destroying agricultural land in the name of canal excavation in the Dhankhali area of Shyamnagar upazila.
The demonstrators demanded an immediate halt to what they described as unplanned canal digging, publication of the project design and compensation for affected farmers.
The protest was held on excavated land and along the canal site in Dhankhali where speakers expressed anger over alleged irregularities in the project implementation.
Farmer leader Jamir Ali said families in the saline-prone coastal region survive with difficulty through farming, but their last remaining cultivable land was now being destroyed under the canal excavation initiative.
He alleged that while the canal was supposed to be only 10 feet wide, nearly 40 feet of farmland had been damaged during the work.
Bhupati Ghosh said local farmers were never consulted before the project began. He alleged that the main contractor had never visited the area and representatives involved in the work repeatedly refused to show local residents the project design and cost estimates despite repeated requests.
“That has further increased public suspicion and anger,” he said.
Majid Sardar alleged that poor farmers’ land was being targeted while influential landowners’ properties remained untouched. He demanded a fair investigation into what he described as discrimination.
Rabiul Par said repeated cyclones and saline water intrusion had already rendered much of the area’s farmland uncultivable. He warned that the remaining fertile land in Dhankhali was the farmers’ last hope and its destruction would push them into severe hardship.
Selina Parvin demanded compensation for the losses suffered by farmers.
Enamul Gayen said unplanned canal excavation was damaging not only cropland but also the rural environment. He called for the work to be stopped immediately and for a revised plan to be prepared.
Environmental activist Madhab Dutta, who attended the programme, said the alleged destruction of farmland in the name of canal excavation must be stopped without delay. He urged authorities to ensure transparency by publicly disclosing the project’s original design, estimates and expenditure details.
The protesters called for swift intervention from the administration.
Contacted by phone, Shyamnagar Upazila Nirbahi Officer Shamsuzzaman Konok said he was unaware of the matter and advised reporters to speak with the Bangladesh Agricultural Development Corporation (BADC).
