Dhaka South City Corporation (DSCC) has continued eviction drive against illegal shops and infrastructures constructed violating the original designs of markets.
DSCC has identified nearly 4,000 illegal shops in 29 city corporation markets out of 86, DSCC officials said.
DSCC on Thursday started demolishing illegal shops outside the Sundarbans Square Super Market at around 12:30pm.
Before conducting the drive, City Corporation gave a letter to the shop owners informing about the drive to remove their belongings from the shops.
It was known that around 600 illegal shops had been built in the Sundarbans Square Super Market at Gulistan in the capital.
In the same area, there are illegal and unplanned shops in three different markets including Gulistan Trade Center (Puranbazar), Adarsha Market and Mahanagar Market.
“The shops have been constructed by occupying the open space of the market, verandah, toilet, stairs, generator room and parking space,” DSCC Public Relations Officer Abu Naser told The Bangladesh Post.
“Many shops, including legally-allocated ones, had been built violating the original designs of the markets that increased the risks of accidents and discomfort of the customers. Illegal shops will be demolished in all markets in phases,” he added.
Earlier, DSCC conducted a week-long drive [December 7 to December 15] to demolish all illegal shops and infrastructure at Phulbaria Supermarket-2 in Gulistan.
According to the DSCC, 911 shops were built in Phulbaria-2 market violating design specifications. The shopping mall design has provisions for 531 shops, including 176 shops each in A and B blocks, and 179 in C block.
But in violation of the original design, 308 shops were constructed in A block, 292 in B block and 311 in C block, according to DSCC's revenue department.
The city corporation executive magistrate Tanzila Kabir Trapa led the eviction drive at Phulbaria where a large number of police was deployed to facilitate the drive.
However, shop owners and workers protested the drive and clashed with police while trying to evict illegal shops at DSCC Phulbaria-2 market.
Shop owners claimed that they paid lakhs to legalise these unplanned shops during the tenure of immediate past Mayor Mohammad Sayeed Khokon.
In this regard, Mayor Fazle Noor Taposh said, “It’s not our responsibility to see who gave money to whom. Our responsibility is to evict illegal occupants and restore discipline here. After Phulbaria, the eviction drive will be carried out in the Sundarbans Square Market."
“Aside from Phulbaria, there are several thousand illegal occupants in 29 markets. The corporation will evict all illegal occupants in phases,” he added.
