The Rajdhani Unnayan Kartripakkha (Rajuk) continued the second round of their eviction drive to oust unauthorised commercial establishments in Dhaka’s Dhanmondi area yesterday.
Rajuk’s Executive Magistrate Nasir Uddin led the eviction drive that started around 11am.
During the drive, the eviction team demolished 10 establishments including restaurants, fast food joints and sweet shops.
Authorities from two private universities have been asked to shut down all their activities in residential areas in Dhanmondi.
According to business owners who have been negatively affected by Sunday’s drive, around 52 people have lost jobs and damages in wealth have amounted to Tk52 lakh.
The eviction started by demolishing a restaurant named Dhaba, which was located on Road 12A of Dhanmondi.
Rajuk’s Authorised Officer (Zone 5, Dhanmondi) Abu Jafar Md Saiful Hannan told the Dhaka Tribune: “The restaurant had been notified several times before but they did not move from the location and ran their business illegally.”
The official further said that they would continue the drive mostly against restaurants based in posh, residential areas due to security concerns.
“Public gatherings occur mostly at restaurants and thus, the residential parts of posh areas will be freed of such businesses,” he added.
The restaurant manager of Dhaba, seeking anonymity, acknowledged the Rajuk notice, but he said that the notice deadline was due to end today.
“Rajuk has demolished the building a day before the end of the deadline,” he added.
The manager further told the Dhaka Tribune that around 30 people have lost their jobs and the owner has lost around Tk10 lakh for the restaurant being demolished.
The Rajuk team then went to road 10/A and demolished Sadia and Samia restaurant, whose owner named Shapan said that he had taken the location from a developer six months ago to run the restaurant.
“The developer company told us there would be problems to run a business on this road. I have lost Tk10 lakh and 12 employees have lost their jobs,” he said.
The local people said that another six shop locations of a building were demolished, whose owner was named Zafar. This correspondent, however, was unable to contact Zafar for further comments, who was also not present at the spot during the Rajuk drive.
Rajuk officials also visited the Chartered University College on the same road and asked university authorities to stop all activities at a residential apartment they were currently located in and to shift the college campus to a different location.
The mobile court then went to road 11 and visited Premier Sweets and a departmental shop at plot 28, whose owner is BCB Director Ahmed Sajjadul Alam Bobby, sun of former Awami League presidium member Mohiuddin.
However, the owners of both shops closed business as soon as they received Rajuk’s notice.
On the same road, Rajuk demolished the Hungry Bee restaurant, whose owner is Advocate Khaled Bukht.
The mobile court then disconnected the power and gas connections of the four flats belonging to DIU and of flats owned by other unauthorised businesses.
Thursday, April 25, 2024
