IT is heartening to know that 911 illegal shops have been demolished from the illegal portion of Fulbaria Super Market- 2 in the capital’s Gutistan area with a view to restoring the market to its original shape. Backed by Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP), executive magistrates of Dhaka South City Corporation (DSCC)- led the mobile courts conducted the drives to evict the shops as per the directive of the mayor of the city corporation.
In fact, a dispute has started over the allotment of illegal shops at Fulbaria Super Market. The DSCC has started the eviction drive at the market amid sporadic clashes with a section of traders, who claimed that they had taken allotment of the shops from the City Corporation during the tenure of immediate past mayor Mohammad Sayeed Khokon. They also claimed that they have paid rents of those shops till the year 2019. The outgoing mayor Khokon also termed the allotment of shops as legal.
However, DSCC mayor Sheikh Fazle Noor Taposh termed the allotment as illegal. He expressed his firm determination to evict the illegal grabbers from the markets in spite of their protests. He further said that he would continue the drive until the last grabber is evicted.
But what is most disturbing to note that the market and its surrounding areas had turned into a mini battleground as evicted traders attacked police during the drive. They claimed that they had paid a huge amount of money to make their illegal shops legal during the tenure of former mayor Sayeed Khokon. Showing this argument, the shopkeepers hurled brick chips and stones at the police personnel injuring some of them.
It is to be noted that like Fulbaria, many unauthorised markets have been mushroomed in the capital’s lanes and by-lanes. These establishments, especially makeshift shops, have grown up in a haphazard manner on footpaths and public places. Illegal encroachers even did not spare the banks of the river Buriganga, the lifeline of the capital.
We know the challenges are enormous. But to protect our city markets from the occupation of the illegal encroachers, we must have to continue the demolition drive. Otherwise, illegal grabbers will stage a comeback again at their original spots. The grabbers are always under the shelter of the ruling party leaders.
