Land grabbers shift belongings along Buriganga bank

Residents of Kamalbag neighbourhood beside the Buriganga river in Old Dhaka are removing their belongings as Bangladesh Inland Water Transport Authority has kicked off an eviction drive, reports bdnews24.com.

People were seen removing heavy machinery from their shops as BIWTA began the eviction drive against illegal occupants and structures at 10 am on Monday.

Some tin-roofed houses with concrete walls were demolished, said Rezaul Karim, assistant director of BIWTA.

On Sunday, the BIWTA ran an eviction drive in Old Dhaka's Swarighat neighbourhood and demolished 165 illegal structures, Rezaul Karim said.

In a bid to save the river banks around Dhaka from encroachers, the BIWTA launched crackdowns in parts of the city. An eviction drive continued in Babubazar on November 22 -to 23.

All illegal structures beside the river from Imamganj in Chawkbazar and Lalbagh to Loharpool will be demolished, according to the BIWTA.

Meanwhile, lawmaker Haji Mohammad Selim on Sunday tore down an illegal structure which he himself had built on the banks of the Buriganga.

The Dhaka-7 MP allegedly occupied the land, which encroaches upon the

riverbank.