If you make threats we will accelerate evictions, says land minister

Land Minister Saifuzzaman Chowdhury Javed says that eviction drive to free riversides from encroachment in Chattogram will only accelerate if the encroachers threaten government officials.

According to the Chattogram administration, the magistrates conducting the eviction drive to free the Karnaphuli River from encroachment began receiving threatening phone calls once the initiative started.

Reporters drew the land minister’s attention to the issue during his inspection of an eviction drive in the Majhirghat area of the city on Saturday.

“No one calling in threats will get away. Who do they think they’re threatening? We have stronger security than before,” he said, telling officials not to pay attention to the threats. 

“We’ll accelerate the drive if they threaten us.”

At least 10 acres of land have been recovered on the banks of Karnaphuli River through the eviction drive, said the minister as he expressed his satisfaction over the eviction drive.

The government has a plan to do ‘something good’ with the retrieved land, he said, urging patience from city residents until the project comes into fruition.

The Chattogram district administration began the eviction drive on the banks of the Karnaphuli River in Chattogram on Monday following a High Court order.

About 230 illegal structures have been demolished as of Friday from the Sadarghat area to the Barik Building area during the drive led by Tahmilur Rahman, assistant commissioner at Patenga Land Office, and Executive Magistrate Towhidul Islam.

“The eviction drive will be conducted in other areas too. There’ll be no illegal structure anywhere. We’ll construct something nice on the retrieved land,” said the land minister.

“The eviction drive has not only resulted in removing illegal structures but also opened five canals which were previously blocked. This will help to ease the waterlogging in the city by improving the sewerage system,” said Saifuzzaman Chowdhury Javed.

“Chattogram will be a better place if we can preserve the river,” he said, urging everyone to be responsible and save the river.

The minister hoped that the river area will look better after the eviction of illegal structures and will allow entry to big cargo ships and earn foreign currency.

The district administration is likely to evict 2,112 structures from the land by the river stretching from the estuary in Patenga to Kalurghat Bridge, according to the court order. 

The second phase of the eviction drive will begin within five days, said the minister.

Reporters asked the minister why the building owned by Karnaphuli Ship Builders at Sadarghat has not been demolished completely.

“We were told that it is a cold storage  and has thousand tonnes of fish in it,” he said.

“We are also trying not to waste or destroy assets. The encroachers will be given time before a structure is evicted. But no illegal structure will be left standing. It must be removed.”

A one-and-a-half kilometre stretch from Sadarghat to Barik Building has been freed from illegal structures, District Commissioner md Iliyas Hossain told bdnews24.com. At present the rubbles is being removed and the second phase of eviction drive will begin within next five days, he said.