Although the CDA has a master plan for the development of the 60 square kilometer port city, it was hardly able to implement the work as per the plan due to the unplanned residential plots, buildings, commercial structures, shopping malls or markets, mindless hill cutting, unabated encroachment of footpaths or parts of roads, and grabbing of canals, including the Chaktai Khal, backbone of the city's sewerage system.

Officials concerned also cited political influence and misuse of power by the rank and file of the ruling parties during the successive governments in the past two decades as major factor that had always stood in the way of its master plan.

Given the unique natural setting of Chittagong, nestled with river, hills, zigzag canals across the city, and the Bay of Bengal, every citizen here had dreamt of a planned and beautiful city.

Our master plan was prepared keeping in mind their expectations, and the future expansion and urbanisation of the city, said CDA Chairman Shah Md Akhtaruddin.

But our efforts had been frustrated by the grabbers backed by political elements, who violated set-back rules, having feeble respect towards the laws, he said, adding that now time has come to do the job without fear or favour for the greater interest of the city.

To bring back the past glory of the city, the CDA has started a massive eviction drive against the encroachers along the banks of Chaktai Khal on June 19. The drive that began from the mouth of the river Karnaphuli will continue until July 20 up to Bohaddarhat Point of the canal covering an area of around five and a half kilometres, CDA officials said.

Earlier, the CDA served notice to all the encroachers of the Chaktai Khal asking them to remove their structures on their own. Many of them have already cleared their unauthorised establishments prior to the eviction drive.

Acting CCC mayor M Manjur Alam and CDA Chairman Shah Md Akhtaruddin inaugurated a project of Tk 6 crore to construct six-km road to be named Chaktai-Mariners Road on both the sides of the canal.

CCC will construct the road in cooperation with the CDA. The road will be a milestone in the development of city's road network, said Shah Akhtar. He said the road will have 20 landing points on both the sides from Chaktai to Bohaddarhat for the passengers.

Tk 140 crore plan has also been taken to excavate 19 primary canals of the city, build sand protection and construct sluice gates in the large canals to end the waterlogging, he added.

Besides, the CDA held a meeting with the owners of illegal or unplanned structures and encroachers of roads or footpaths stretching from Bohaddarhat to Tiger Pass on June 21.

The authorities also organised two other meetings on June 24 and June 25 with the people of Dewanhat to Port Connecting Road (PCR) in Nimtala and PCR to Katgarh in Patenga.

Sources said the meetings were organised to clear fear among the people regarding the move and give them proper guidelines to streamline whatever the faults, deviations or irregularities in their plans, structures or plots have for long.

The city dwellers, who have plots and structures but didn't obtain any plan against those, deviated CDA plan or design or encroached part or whole of roads and footpaths, attended the meetings.

The move is part of our continued efforts to bring an order in the overall housing system in the port city that have long been in a mess and to create scope for better urbanisation for the citizens, keeping in mind the growing expansion and demand in future, said the CDA chairman.

The authorities have so far identified 950 structures in question and asked the owners to remove unauthorised portion of their structures by July 25.