Drive to free Mohakhali canal
30 structures demolished
Dhaka Wasa yesterday demolished at least 30 illegal structures, including a portion of a hospital building, to free the Mohakhali canal at Mohakhali's Rasulbagh in the city.
The structures included makeshift auto-part stores, mechanical workshops, portion of a slum and a one-storey illegal extension of the Metropoli-tan Medical Centre in the area.
However, an oxygen room at a corner of the hospital's illegal extension was not knocked down as it could be fatal for many emergency patients. The hospital authorities have been asked to move the oxygen facilities elsewhere by 10:00am today.
Executive Magistrate of Dhaka Wasa Kazi Wasiuddin led the drive. Wasa Executive Engineer Nurul Islam was present during the drive.
The four-hour drive was conducted in cooperation with riot police on a 0.75km stretch on the Mohakhali canal from Paglar Pole in Mohakhali to Niketan.
SM Shahed, administrative officer of Metropolitan Medical Centre, said the hospital had a legal dispute over the land with Dhaka Wasa and filed a writ petition with the High Court in 2008.
“We showed the copies of the petition, but he went on and knocked them down anyway,” he said.
Most of the other structures that were knocked down belong to the nearby Aman Filling Station, local residents said.
They said the owners have been pulling strings within the government for years to keep the authorities away.
For all latest news, follow The Daily Star's Google News channel.
Comments