Remove illegal structures from parking spaces: HC
The High Court yesterday directed the government to take necessary steps to remove unauthorised structures -- including shops -- from roadside car parking spaces in Dhaka, to ease traffic congestion.
Delivering a verdict on a writ petition, the court asked Rajdhani Unnayan Kartripakkha (Rajuk) to issue a public notice to owners of illegal structures to remove those within a month.
Rajuk was asked to circulate the notice through two widely-circulated Bangla newspapers and an English newspaper, and authorised officers of Rajuk will inform the matter to owners, as per the court order.
If the illegal structures are not removed by the deadline, then Rajuk, Dhaka north and south city corporations and Dhaka Metropolitan Police will demolish those in next six months, the court said.
The HC also asked authorities concerned to take legal action against those who constructed the unauthorised structures, and take the demolition cost from them in accordance with law.
Dhaka north and south city corporations were also directed to submit progress reports before the court every three months.
The bench of Justice Gobinda Chandra Tagore and Justice Mohammad Ullah came up with the verdict following a writ petition filed by Human Rights and Peace for Bangladesh (HRPB) in 2015, seeking necessary orders to this effect.
During yesterday’s hearing, the HC observed that the unauthorised structures have been built in violation of relevant laws, due to authorities’ negligence.
According to a Rajuk report, 208 unauthorised structures have been built on car parking spaces in Gulshan, Banani and Baridhara, which reflects the situation of Dhaka city, the court observed.
HRPB filed the writ petition as a public interest litigation on December 14, 2015 saying unauthorised structures are a cause of traffic congestion in the city. It also said owners had built shops and businesses on the ground floors of buildings which were supposed to be for car parking.
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