Shops, shanties bulldozed along Khilgaon-Malibagh rails

Bangladesh Railway (BR) authorities demolished Saturday around two thousand makeshift shops and shanties built on and along the rail tracks from Khilgaon to Malibagh in the capital, in a continuing cleansing operation after the repeat of fatal accident.
Witnesses said bulldozer rolled along the rail-side spaces demolishing the unauthorized structures while many were seen pulling down their shops on their own to avert being scrapped.            
The eviction drive by BR came in the wake of a latest fatal train accident that killed four people near Karwan Bazar level-crossing on September 11 (Thursday).  
And following Thursdays' incident, the BR authorities started eviction Friday, removing such structures from Bangladesh Film Development Corporation (BFDC) gate to Tejgaon rail-station crossing.
A team of Government Railway Police (GRP) along with the railway security force (Railway Nirapatta Bahini) and divisional estate officer of BR Nurunnabi Kabir launched the drive at 9.00 am that lasted till 2.00 pm, without any report of unpleasant incident.
The officer said the BR authorities paid their attention on the illegal establishments for the sake of public safety following Thursday's tragedy.
When his attention was drawn about other areas where makeshift and floating trading was allowed upon the railway tracks, he said that eviction drive would also be taken in other places in phases.
"It's a regular eviction drive … We will continue it. We would not allow any illegal shops and shanties to be built again on the rail tracks," the BR official said.
"We will maintain strong surveillance."   
The railway authorities might carry out eviction drive today (Sunday) at Jurain, sources said.