Erosion in River Padma during the peak monsoon has threatened the Kuthibari, the historic country house of Nobel Laureate poet Rabindranath Tagore, at Shelaidah in Kushtia district.
The erosion along the river’s bank near Kuthibari and its adjacent area has taken a serious turn and the residents of the area are passing days in fear of losing their land and homes to the mighty Padma.
Read:Riverbank erosion leaves Gashial residents on the edge
Earlier, the government had taken steps to protect the Kuthibari from river erosion in 2018 by building an embankment but it did little to help the villagers.
According to the Kushtia Water Development Board, the authorities concerned have built a 3,720 meter flood protection dam, involving Tk 167 crore in the fiscal year 2016-2018. Of the total dam, 2,720 meter built in Sultanpur part of Koya union while the remaining 1000 meter in Shelaidah portion.
The authorities named the project as ‘Kuthibari protection dam’.
Read Padma erosion threatens Daulatdia Ferry Terminal
Local people alleged that the authorities concerned have built the dam excluding the 1.5 kilometre area of Kuthibari under the project. The project stretching from Shelaidah Kuthibari and adjacent areas remains in the paper but actually no dam has been built on the main portion of the Kuthibari.