The drive began at Sadarghat Lighterage Jetty around 10:00 am on Monday and was led by Tahmilur Rahman, assistant commissioner of the Patenga Land Office, and Executive Magistrate Touhidul Islam.
The structures adjacent to the river near the jetty were bulldozed first.
The 10 km area stretch from the estuary of Karnaphuli River in Patenga to Mohra has been divided into three zones for the drive, said the commissioner.
The structures situated from Sadarghat to Barik Building will be demolished in the first phase, he said while the structures from Patenga to Chaktai will be demolished later.
About 100 workers are engaged in the eviction work along with a pay loader, excavator and truck.
Representatives from the Chattogram City Corporation, CDA, Chattogram Port Authority, BIWTA, Fire Service and Karnaphuli Gas, along with the police and RAB personnel were present for drive.
Nearly 10 acres of land will be reclaimed in the first phase of eviction by removing around 200 structures, said Assistant Commissioner Tahmilur Rahman.
“Both government and private organisations are assisting in the eviction drive. Some of them removed their structures before the drive began. We have had no clashes yet,” he said.
Land Minister Saifuzzaman Chowdhury announces that a drive to remove illegal structures along the river Karnaphuli will begin Monday after visiting the area in Chattogram on Saturday. Photo: Suman Babu
The land retrieved in the drive will be barred off and trees will be planted there, said the official.
On Jul 18, 2010, the High Court issued an order banning river encroachment, land filling and all kinds of structures in the river following a writ petition in the public interest by Human Rights Peace for Bangladesh.
The court also ordered the local administration to identify the actual border of the river and submit a report.
The district administration in Chattogram began identifying the border of the river on Nov 9, 2014. The illegal structures identified during that investigation are now being evicted.
The eviction drive was announced for Monday following a coordination meeting led by the district commissioner on Thursday.
The meeting discussed the issue of removing 2,112 structures including 368 from Patenga, the EPZ, the port area, Kotowali, Baklia, Chandgaon Mouja and 1,744 structures from East Patenga Mouja.
“Karnaphuli is an asset of Chattogram. We should conserve it going beyond our personal opinion or being partisan. Chattogram will live if Karnaphuli lives,” said Land Minister Saifuzzaman Chowdhury Javed on Saturday, before the eviction drive.
