Two-day special eviction drive begins to free Buriganga

Dhaka District Administration and Bangladesh Inland Water Transport Authority (BIWTA) have started a two-day special eviction drive to free the land on the banks of the Buriganga river.

The drive, which began on Wednesday (August 20), will end on Thursday (August 21).

A notification signed by BIWTA Joint Director (Ports and Transport Division) Mohammad Mustafizur Rahman said that the eviction drive is being conducted as per the directions of the writ petition (No. 3503/2009 and 13989/2016) filed in the High Court.

The drive includes the entire area from Postogola Bridge to Dhopatiya or Katurail Kheyaghat. This includes the riverside parts of Char Mirerbagh, Nayatola, Doleshwar, Hazaribagh and Katurail Mouza of South Keraniganj Police Station. All types of illegal structures and river embankments will be removed from these places.

BIWTA sources said that due to the increase in illegal settlements and encroachments on the banks of Buriganga for a long time, the river is gradually narrowing. This has seriously threatened the environment of the river, the safety of the waterway and the normal flow.

They will control law and order along with conducting the eviction activities through mobile courts. A sufficient number of police personnel will be deployed during this time.

The administration said that the operation will be conducted under the supervision of the executive magistrates of the district administration as part of the regular eviction activities. They will control the law and order situation and perform magisterial duties along with the eviction. A sufficient number of police personnel will be deployed during this time