Eviction drive at Bhashantek
Homeless slum dwellers in a fix
FE Report | Wednesday, 20 February 2019
Hundreds of illegal houses, shops and structures were pulled down during an eviction drive at slums in the capital's Bhashantek area on Tuesday.
The Ministry of Housing and Public Works conducted the drive with the help of law-enforcement agencies.
When asked, officials of the ministry and law-enforcers refused to make any comment regarding the eviction.
However, launching the eviction drive in a short notice put the slum dwellers in dire straits, as the authorities concerned issued a notice just 12 hours before the drive, claimed the slum dwellers and shop owners.
Following the drive, many slum residents were seen evacuating their belongings and waiting on the nearby roadsides for hours, as they were in the dark about where to go and what to do.
"Where will we go now? The sudden eviction drive has destroyed our shelter and other household items," one slum dweller Hashem told the FE.
Hashem (33), who hailed from Kishoreganj and was working as a day-labourer, said he along with his four family members had been staying in Bhashantek slum for 20 years.
A good number of the evicted slum dwellers were seen preparing for going to their respective village homes.