Demolition of roadside structures starts in Tangail

Tangail district administration with the help of Roads and Highways Department (RHD) yesterday started demolishing illegal structures on roadside land at different places in the town.

The drive started in the morning and around 200 illegal structures from Shamsul Haque Gate to LGED Intersection were demolished till the afternoon.

RHD workers and employees, in the presence of law enforcers, knocked down hotels, restaurants, tea stalls, workshops and other structures beside the Tangail-Mymensingh Road at Shamsul Haque Gate, Tangail Medical College, New Bus Terminal and LGED Intersection areas.

The structures were hampering the movement of patients coming to the hospital and creating other problems in the areas, district administration sources said.

Moreover, the illegal structures were causing unwanted gathering and also acute traffic jam near the New Bus Terminal, they added.

Executive Magistrate Abdur Rahim Sujon led the demolition drive. He told this correspondent that the drive was conducted under Section 5(2) of Land and Building (grabbing recovery/dakhol punorudhar) Act of 1970.

Before resuming demolition of the illegal structures, the authorities had served notices and also made a public announcement, directing the owners to remove their illegal structures from roadside areas, the magistrate said.

During the drive, the authorities did not fine any of the occupiers but warned them verbally, he added.

Among others, Executive Engineer of RHD in Tangail Noor-a-Alam and Assistant Engineer Ramjan Ali were present during the drive. 

"A section of dishonest people have been running businesses by erecting illegal structures on government land beside the busy roads at different places in the town for long," Mohammad Mahbub Hossain, deputy commissioner of Tangail, told this correspondent.

"Earlier, the district administration had demolished illegal structures in the same areas in August last year, but the occupiers returned within a few months and started constructing makeshift structures, the DC said.

District administration sources said the drive will continue until all illegal structures are removed.