Speakers at the rally, participated by several hundred people, demanded immediate government steps to stop illegal encroachment on land in the area.

They said if the land grabbers are not stopped immediately, the ijtema ground would vanish away soon.

The speakers said the local influential people have already grabbed a vast area on both sides of the river turning it into a small canal.

They also demanded massive dredging of the river for maintaining its navigability.

The speakers said the earth filling on flood flow zones by housing companies was one of the main reasons for water logging in Dhaka city during the last floods.

They demanded necessary measures for protecting all rivers, canals and flood flow zones for maintaining ecological balance in the country.

The rally was addressed by Bapa leaders Dr Nuruddin, Feroz Ahmed, Mohammad Kamal and Shamsul Momin.

The protesters also carried banners and posters containing slogans like

'Protect the river Turag', 'Save environment', and 'Return the encroached land to Tablig Jamaat'.

The ijtema organisers told The Daily Star that the allotment of land around the ground to private companies by the government would create impediments to the holding of such gathering in the future.

"The government allocated a total of 160 acres of land for Bishwa Ijtema but we are yet to get the possession of whole area," said a leader of Tablig Jamaat, the organiser of the ijtema.

Although the grabbed land is situated on the other side of the river, the space is necessary for holding such a big gathering considered second largest congregation of Muslims after the Hajj, he said.

The people who got the plots have expressed their willingness to shift to other places if the government gives them land in other areas, said the tablig leader.

The Tablig Jamaat is also ready to pay necessary money if the government hands over the land to them, he added.