Approximately 207 acres of land beneath the flyovers in Dhaka city are officially vacant. Despite being government property, these areas have become shelters for extortionists and sites of illegal activities on a daily basis.
There are seven flyovers in Dhaka under the jurisdiction of the Dhaka North and Dhaka South City Corporations. These are the Mayor Mohammad Hanif Flyover, Moghbazar-Mouchak Flyover, Khilgaon Flyover, Mohakhali Flyover, Kuril Flyover, Banani Zillur Rahman Flyover, and Tejgaon-Bijoy Sarani Flyover.
The three major flyovers are the Mayor Hanif, Moghbazar-Mouchak, and Kuril flyovers. The remaining flyovers are of medium and small size.
During a visit to these flyovers, the Dhaka Tribune reporter observed that most of the spaces beneath them are illegally occupied, presenting a very odd picture at a landscape level.
As of Thursday morning, the areas below the Mayor Hanif Flyover were occupied by furniture shops, hotels, and various other shops. A similar situation can be seen from the Jatrabari intersection to the Nimtali intersection of this flyover.
Additionally, migratory people live beneath this flyover in the areas of Bangabazar, Rajdhani Super Market in Tikatuli, and Sayedabad.
A large area in Sayedabad has been leased for various vehicles, including buses. However, this space has now become a chaotic mess for the city. On the other hand, the Wari BCC Road section of the flyover is mostly polluted.
Surprisingly, there is a colony of about 200 families living under the Mayor Hanif Flyover. This colony is built around the pillars of the flyover and has gas, electricity, water connections, and a sewerage system. Fires often occur in this area.
A resident of the colony, speaking on condition of anonymity, said: "This place is very risky for us. Small fires often occur here, but we have no choice but to live here. We spend according to our income. Moreover, the city corporation itself has permitted us to live here."
The Gulistan-Fulbaria section of this flyover is occupied by temporary shops selling shoes, shirts, pants, and other clothing.
In the Bangabazar area under this flyover, there are also horse stables.
Mamun, a businessman with a temporary shoe shop near one of the flyover pillars, said: "It takes a lot of money to run a shop in Dhaka city. Here, it is comparatively less expensive. So, I opened my shop here, not for free, but for money. I have to do business."
Meanwhile, Azad and Habib are doing business in a shop under the flyover in front of Phulbaria Market after their shop in Bangabazar burned down. They said they could not afford to buy a new shop, which forced them to open a shop on the street. They admitted it was illegal but claimed they had no choice.
Rubel Haji, a resident of the Siddikbazar area, said: "No one is allowed to set up shop here for free. They take money and then let them stay. Local political party leaders and policemen collect money from these shops and garages. Otherwise, there is a police outpost on one side of Gulistan, while the South City Corporation is on the other side. So why are they silent?"
Additionally, private cars, police vans, and pickups are parked in haphazard manner in the Moghbazar-Mouchak flyover area, including Moghbazar Wireless, Mouchak, Malibagh, and Razarbagh, from Janakantha Bhawan in Eskaton. Temporary public toilets have also been set up, causing defecation and environmental pollution.
The same problems are seen at the Kakrail point of this flyover, which creates a huge traffic jam there.
Furthermore, the road from the Malibagh intersection to Rajarbagh under this flyover becomes a shelter for drug addicts at night.
Meanwhile, the Kuril flyover becomes a place of danger in the evening, with frequent reports of open drug transactions, consumption, gambling, and robbery.
Regarding the Dhaka South City Corporation's plans for the abandoned areas below the flyover, Chief City Planner Sirajul Islam told Dhaka Tribune: "We have a comprehensive plan for the abandoned areas below the flyover."
Dhaka North City Corporation (DNCC) Chief Executive Officer Mir Khairul Alam added: "We have a plan. We have done beautification paintings in some places. However, these areas will be used for utility services, such as entertainment centers, providing spaces for people to spend time."
A design was submitted by the city planners to the then mayor of Dhaka South City Corporation, Sayeed Khokon, regarding using the space under the capital's flyovers in an environmentally and economically efficient way.
Then, on March 10, 2021, Dhaka South City Corporation Mayor Fazle Noor Taposh announced a phased restoration of the encroached areas under the flyovers within DSCC jurisdiction to ensure vehicular movement and a healthy environment. However, this plan has not yet been implemented.
Recently, the Center for Inclusive Architecture and Urbanism, a non-governmental organization, has developed a concept for the multipurpose use of the space under the flyovers.