BR removes illegal structures from its lands in Dhaka, Ctg

Bangladesh Railway yesterday removed around 1,150 illegal structures set up on its lands in Dhaka and Chittagong.

Our staff correspondent reports, BR authorities demolished Kosaibari Railway Super Market housing around 150 shops beside the railway tracks in the capital's Uttara Sector-4.

In the four-hour long drive from 10:00am, Railway Police with the assistance of Dhaka Metropolitan Police bulldozed the one-storey tin-shed market.

The shop owners said they set up their stores on the land which BR leased to them, adding that the eviction drive was conducted without any prior notice.

However, Nurunnabi Kabir, a divisional estate officer of BR, told The Daily Star that the one-year lease contract expired in 1981 and it was not renewed later.

“Later the railway authorities gave them an eviction notice. The owners went to the court and while case was going on they built around 150 shops there.”

Kabir said the court had already given judgment in favour of them so they were carrying out the eviction drive.

Such drives have been conducted since a train accident at Karwan Bazar left four people dead on September 11, said the BR authorities, adding that the drives would be continued.

Our staff correspondent from Chittagong adds, the BR authorities yesterday demolished some 1,000 illegal shanties in Dewanhat and Tigerpass areas of Chittagong city.

Some of the shanties were illegally established along the railway tracks in Dewanhat area while the others occupied the land of railway authorities in Tigerpass area, said official sources.

Chittagong Metropolitan Police, Railway Police and Railway Nirapatta Bahini assisted the team.