Drives against illegal establishments on the banks of Buriganga and Karnaphuli rivers is underway.
In Dhaka, Bangladesh Inland Water Transport Authority (BIWTA) is conducting a drive at Koylaghat in Kamrangirchar to demolish illegal establishments along the Buriganga river.
A mobile court of BIWTA started the demolition work for a second consecutive day around 10:30am on Wednesday.
Demolished illegal building seen after the drives against illegal establishments on the banks of Buriganga, on February 6, 2019 Mahmud Hossain OpuThe drive will continue until 4pm.
Previously, 200 illegal establishments—including a three-story building—were demolished at Nabanchar on Tuesday. The drive will continue until February 19.
BIWTA in its previous eviction drive from January 29 to 31 evicted individuals from 444 illegal establishments along the Buriganga river.
BIWTA identified 609 illegal establishments—including 56 multi-story buildings—on the riverbanks from Sadarghat to Gabtoli area. The inhabitants of these illegal establishments will be evicted in different phases.
Also Read- Illegal structures removed along riverbanks, highways in three districts
In Chittagong, a drive to demolish illegal structures on the banks of the Karnaphuli river is underway in Chittagong, for a third consecutive day.
A team—led by executive magistrate and assistant commissioner (land) of PatengaTahmilur Rahman—started the drive in Sadarghat Literage area around 10am on Wednesday.
On Tuesday, the local administration bulldozed 80 illegal establishments on the drive’s second day.
Tahmilur Rahman said the total area stretching from Chaktai to Patenga has been divided into three zones—to facilitate the eviction drive—and a total of 2,187 illegal establishments will be demolished.
Settlers of a illegal establishment near the banks of Buriganga seen standing on the roof of a demolished building, February 6, 2019 Mahmud Hossain Opu
Around 200 structures, stretching from Sadarghat to Barik Building area, will be removed in the first phase, he said.
The: Fire Service, Chittagong City Corporation (CCC), Chittagong Development Authority (CDA), Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) members, and police are taking part in the eviction drive, he said.
On August 16, 2016, the High Court directed the authorities concerned to remove 2,112 structures illegally built on the banks of Karnaphuli river, in response to a writ petition.
The writ petition filed by Human Rights and Peace for Bangladesh sought directives from the High Court to save the river, citing media reports of rampant encroachment on its banks.
In the petition, a number of individuals—owners of businesses, houses, and slums—a container terminal, and six government entities were accused of erecting illegal structures at the: Bakalia, Patenga, Madrabari, Ghosail Danga, Monoharkhali, and Firingi Bazar areas on the riverbanks.
