Thousands of people made homeless in an eviction drive in Kalyanpur slum on Thursday are occupying the open spaces around the shanty town that they called home, after bulldozers razed their dwellings to the ground.
The decision to destroy the shanty town came in the middle of winter. Meteorological Department Duty Forecasting Officer Hafizur Rahman says Dhaka temperatures are likely to fall over the next three to four days.
The High Court has issued a stay order on the eviction of Kalyanpur slum for three months.Photo: Mahmud Hossain Opu
'We have evicted illegal structures on eight of 50 acres of the land'
Houses and shops covering an eight-acre swathe of land have already been mowed down by bulldozers under the watch of officials of the Housing and Building Research Institute, as policemen and two water cannons remained on standby.
The nine slums in Dhaka's Kalyanpur area cover some 50 acres of land and are home to around 22,000 people.
During the eviction drives, police were pelted by brickbats and confronted by angry protesters as slum dwellers armed with sticks attempted to defend their homes and stop the demolitions.
With the help of police, Executive Magistrate Nur Alam recommenced the drive around 12 noon, before it was later stayed by the High Court.
Asked whether residents were given prior notice, Magistrate Nur Alam said: "We followed all of the legal procedures."
Housing and Building Research Institute Architect Jamir Uddin said: "We issued notices several times but residents did not vacate the slum. So we started the drive.
"We have evicted illegal structures on eight of 50 acres of the land."