Railway demolishes 300 illegal structures
Bangladesh Railway demolishes illegal structures constructed on its land at Kamalapur in the city yesterday.Photo: STAR
Bangladesh Railway in a drive demolished around 300 tin-shed and semi-concrete structures in the capital's Gopibagh yesterday. The authorities conducted the drive to reclaim 10 acres of land of the railway, said Ahmadul Haque, executive magistrate and also divisional estate officer of the railway, who led the drive. He said the land was occupied with garages, motor shops and houses. After the removal of the structures, the railway will use the land for its own purpose. Of the people evicted, Tonu had three garages and three shops on a 2.5-katha plot. He claimed he inherited the property. Rajdhani Unnayan Kartripakkha (Rajuk) in 1993 acquired his land in exchange for Tk 10 lakh which, according to Tonu, is a very small amount. Tonu with two other owners of three adjacent plots measuring 9 katha filed an arbitration case against Rajuk in 2008. The case trial is going on. Moreover, the court issued a stay order on any demolition, said Tonu. Magistrate Ahmadul, however, said the railway acquired their land in 1959-1960. And the stay order that the owners showed to them expired on June 27. "We did not demolish only one house in the area since the owner showed a stay order still in effect," he said.
For all latest news, follow The Daily Star's Google News channel.
Comments