Sprawling city slums give rise to crime

A slum at Patharghata area in the city

Increasing number of slums in the port city, the second largest metropolis, is raising concern among the dwellers as those are giving rise to criminal and anti-social activities.

Statistics of law enforcing agencies and non-government organisations (NGO) showed that the commercial capital has now more than 100 slums in 60 sq km areas.

The ramshackle houses, lack of basic amenities, absence of recreation in life, inhuman living condition, dealing of illegal drugs, criminal activities, presence of criminals, vested interest or political leverage and lack of proper sanitation and leaving scope for different diseases are the main features of slums.

The slums are sprawled at nook and corner of the city.

Barisal Colony at city's Madarbari Rail Crossing, Railway Station Colony, Jamtala Bosti, Jhaotala Colony at Jamal Khan, Kazi Colony at Kazir Dewri, Patharghata Bosti, Goachhi Bagan near Chittagong Medical College hostel at Chateshwari Road, Sher Shah Colony, Tulatali Bosti, Burma Colony, Meah Khan Bazar Bosti, Bou Bazar Bosti, Ghasiarpara Bosti, Bagarbeel Bosti, Matijharna Colony, Tigerpass Bosti, Pahartali Railway Bosti, Ambagan Bosti, Firoz Shah Colony, Tigerpass Francis Colony and Agrabad Bheluar Dighi are 'infamous' slums in Chittagong.

These slums are known as the safe haven for many topnotch and notorious criminals as well as anti-social elements of Chittagong and Greater Chittagong.

The Chittagong Metropolitan Police (CMP) launched 'cleansing' raids on several occasions to arrest criminals but failed. The CMP dealt heavily in October last year to demolish the Barisal Colony.

A CMP official said that many criminals generally used to take refuge at the slums to avoid police raid or legal action. And slums are increasing in the port city with the help of a section of unscrupulous police personnel.

An NGO executive said police regularly extort money from the criminals living in the slums and keep their eyes shut to all sorts of criminal and anti-social activities centring the slums.

Illegal slums on the railway land are also a concern in Chittagong. Most of these slums have turned into notorious criminal spots.

Bangladesh Railway has 831 acres of abandoned land with 479 acres already under the control of illegal occupants in Chittagong Division.

Scores of slums have grown up on this abandoned land in the city. And they have earned the bad name of "crime points" where peddling of drugs, smuggled goods and illegal firearms take place. Besides, different criminal and anti-social activities frequently occur there. Slums at Barisal Colony, Station Road area and Jamtoli Bosti are the most infamous ones.

The Jamtoli Bosti at Enayet Bazar and Motijharna Slum at Lalkhan Bazar are now "death traps" as the illegal occupants erected thatched houses on the slopes and bottoms of hills risking lives and properties.

Over 200 thatched houses have been erected in the hillock slum of Jamtoli Bosti by some unscrupulous elements. Two incidents of landslides at the slum buried 10 members of a family alive in 1999 and two other girls in 1997.

Around 40 people were killed in a dozen of landslides in a decade at Motijharna slum.

The Estate Department of Railway with a poor manpower and insufficient logistics carried out eviction drives throughout the year. But the drives proved to be futile efforts and wastage of labour and money as the recovered lands were left unprotected and illegal occupants find no difficulty to settle there again.

On the other hand, the railway authorities seem to have a little to do against those who have grabbed its huge areas of lands at Motijharna, Madarbari rail crossing and Jhaotala colony.

An Estate Department official said railway authorities would be benefited if these lands could be recovered.

"We conduct at least 4 to 5 drives a month to evict illegal occupants," the official said adding that the drives do not prove much effective as the evicted settle at the same area again for lack of proper protective measures.

Local "mastans" are making money capturing the railway land illegally and giving rise to the criminal and anti-social activities, he said. The poor slum people are not benefitted as they are to pay rent to the criminals there, he added.

Meanwhile, Chittagong City Corporation (CCC) took a project styled "Poverty Reduction Scheme in Slums" to upgrade the conditions of the slums and ensure basic needs like education and healthcare for its dwellers.

"Our efforts were already paying dividends and such initiatives would bring a change in the slums," a CCC official said.