Md Joynal Abedin Khan :Rajdhani Unnayan Kartripakkha (RAJUK) has started to evict unauthorized commercial establishments from the city’s residential areas amid fear of strong protest by the owners and their goons.Following a notice of the government, the city development authority on the first day on Sunday went to Dhanmondi area but could not go into action due to lack of presence of law enforcers and necessary equipments, sources said.It also failed to evict any establishment in city’s Uttara area on the second day on Monday as it faced obstructions by the owners and their cohorts. They could only cut electricity and gas line from two hotels in Uttara Sector-4. The Rajuk force is in panic of attacks as they have bitter experience of clashes during eviction drives in different places of the city in recent days, RAJUK sources said. On Saturday, the city development authority released a media statement about the 21-day nonstop drive to evict illegal commercial entities, including restaurants, schools and hospitals from residential areas, scheduled to start on Sunday. It sent a letter to the Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP) Commissioner on July 18 seeking personnel for the drives.RAJUK Executive Magistrate Oliur Rahman has been assigned to lead the drive at Gulshan, Banani and Baridhara while Zakir Hossain at Uttara and Md Nasir Uddin at Dhanmondi respectively.In this condition, the RAJUK started a drive to evict unauthorised commercial establishments in Uttara area around 11:45am on Monday, said Rajuk’s authorised officer of zone-2 Ashraful Islam.He said, they were conducting the drive at Platinum Residence in Uttara Sector-4 as they had a list of 540 illegal establishments. “The building is being used for commercial purpose in spite of not having permission for it. The 10-storey building does not even have a parking facilities. We have asked the authorities to stop all of their functions,” the RAJUK official said. Rajuk’s authorised officer of zone-5 (Dhanmondi and Lalbagh) Abu Zafar Mohammad Shafiul Alam said that they cancelled eviction drive on Sunday in Uttara and Dhanmondi areas due to the absence of police on the spot. He said, “We had to cancel Sunday’s drive due to the absence of police. We have sent a letter to the Dhaka Metropolitan Police in this regard.”Assistant Manager of Platinum Residence Md Nuruzzaman said, “We did not know about the drive, otherwise we would fix the problem.”Platinum Residence Human Resources Manager Mohammad Sarwar said, “We have asked them to give us 15 days time, but they are not willing to give us more time.”Magistrate Md Nasir Uddin said, “He could not start the drive in DhanmondiDue to lack of force and bulldozers on Sunday. Contacted, Uttar East Police Station Officer-in-Charge (Investigation) Md Shahnewaz told The New Nation on Monday night, “We have provided adequate police members to conduct the drive to avert any untoward situation.” He said, police help the authorities concerned in any drive to maintain the law and order in the city.Dhanmondi Police Station OC Noor-e-Alam, said he knew nothing about the drives. Even RAJUK did not inform police about the drive though they were ready to help to conduct the action against illegal establishments, he said. Earlier, the Cabinet set a six-month deadline for the removal of commercial outlets from residential plots and buildings on April 4.On July 20, the government sent notices to around 13,000 commercial entities in Dhaka directing them to relocate.Earlier, a clash was held between traders and police in Gulistan area under Dhaka South City Corporation (DSCC), where over 50 people, including high officials of police, were injured on June 10. Also Dhaka North City Corporation (DNCC) had stopped eviction drive in the presence of its Mayor Annisul Huq following a clash between law enforcers and transport workers at truck stand in Tejgaon area on November 29 last year.
