An image of a boat being used to commute in a waterlogged street crowded with vehicles in Bangladesh is being shared on social media with claims that it shows visuals of Kolkata, West Bengal, after a spell of heavy rain.
BOOM found that the viral image was clicked in June, 2018, at Begum Rokeya Avenue in Mirpur, Dhaka.
Kolkata has been facing heavy rain over the last week due to the early arrival of the monsoon season; following which the drainage system was disrupted and water accumulated in various parts of the city.
The image has been shared on Facebook with a caption, "I can say it with challenge, there is no other country, no other river and not even a city in the world where buses, bikes and boats can move on the same stretch of road; we can say proudly, we are Bengalis. Because it's only possible in our London."
(Original text in Bangla: "আমি চ্যালেঞ্জ করে বলতে পারি, পৃথিবীতে আর কোনও দেশ নেই কোনও নদী নেই, এমনকি কোনও শহর ও নেই যেখানে একই রাস্তায় বাস, বাইক, আর নৌকা এক সাথে চলতে পারে, আমরা গর্ব কিরে বলতে পারি, আমরা বাঙালি।কেননা এটা শুধুমাত্র আমাদের লন্ডনে সম্ভব।")
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Netizens are sharing the image and linking it to West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee's comment about turning 'Kolkata into London' earlier. In 2011, Banerjee had said, "Why can't Kolkata be another London?" However, later in 2015, during her visit to London, Banerjee clarified her position in an interview, stating that she compared Kolkata with London because both are situated on the banks of river Hooghly and Thames respectively.
Click here to view the post and here to view the archive.
BOOM found the image is also being shared on Twitter as Kolkata.
Click here to view the archive of the tweet.
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Fact Check
BOOM found that the viral image was clicked in June, 2018, at Begum Rokeya Avenue in Mirpur, Dhaka, Bangladesh.
We were able to locate the text 'Dhaka Mass Rapid Transit Development Project' (Dhaka Mass Transit Company Ltd.) written in English on a perimeter of an ongoing project beside the road. According to reports, this company, a Bangladesh government owned company, is currently working on a metro rail project in the country.
BOOM found ' Life Aid Specialized Hospital Ltd.' written in Bengali on a vinyl sign board on a building. According to Google Maps, the private hospital is located in Bangladesh's capital Dhaka's Mirpur. The address is Kazipara, Begum Rokeya Avenue, Mirpur, Dhaka-1216, Bangladesh.
BOOM further did a keyword search by using 'Mirpur Waterlogging' and found a bunch of photos in the gallery of bdnews24 website. The caption on the similar image is, "Boat service is launched to ferry commuters on Rokeya Sarani at Kaziparha". Photojournalist Asif Mahmud Ove of bdnews24 clicked the picture.
In the picture the boatman can be seen wearing the same T-shirt as the viral image.
The Independent BD published an article on June 1, 2018 where the same man can be seen on the boat in the picture.
An article published in The Daily Star on June 1, 2018 stated that Begum Rokeya Sarani in Mirpur was flooded after 30 minutes of heavy rain.
Even in June 2021 Begum Rokeya Sarani in Mirpur area was waterlogged in the same way. The people of the area blamed the metro rail project for the situation. A Business Standard article on the same can be read here.
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