The special drive to evict illegal establishments, such as slums, permanent or temporary houses, shops and business, near public hospitals in the capital's Mohakhali area has begun in the morning.
A team of Dhaka City Corporation (North) led by Deputy Secretary Mahbubur Rahman, began the eviction drive at 11am.
Deputy Secretary for Health Hafizur Rahman Chowdhury told the Dhaka Tribune: “The DCC North team will evict all illegal structures from in front of the hospitals in Mohakhali area. Some 145 acres of land of the directorate in the area had been occupied by illegal establishments for many years.”
Some 145 acres of land in the area have been occupied by illegal establishments
Earlier, Health and Family Welfare Mohammad Nasim had recently directed high officials of the ministry to compile a list of illegal establishments at public hospitals and organise a special drive to evict them as soon as possible.
In September 2009, the Ministry of Public Administration issued an order giving magistracy power to seven senior health secretaries to conduct an eviction drive at the Mohakali Health Zone.
However, the eviction drive has never took place.
A number of hospitals and health institutes, including National Institute of Chest Disease and Hospital (NIDCH), Cancer Institute And Research Hospital, Infectious Disease Hospital, Institute of Health Technology, Directorate General of Health Services Bangladesh, National Institute of Preventive and Social Medicine, Institute of Public Health and Bangladesh College of Physicians and Surgeons, have been situated in the health zone.
It was learnt that illegal establishments had seized huge areas of the various public hospitals in the capital.
