Authorities of Dhaka South City Corporation (DSCC) on Monday successfully reclaimed around 50 decimal public lands evicting Sayedabad truck stand at Janopath intersection in the city.
A strong syndicate of the truck owners and workers with supports from various influential quarters kept the land under their control for over last three decades, officials said.
They said the land was kept occupied with huge number of goods carrying trucks and many concrete and semi-concrete structures housing small businesses and offices of truck owners and workers union.
“It was our second attempt today to end the decades-old illegal occupation of the public land,” said Khalid Ahmed, Chief Estate Officer of the city corporation, who conducted the drive.
A similar attempt was foiled a couple of months back in the face of resistance by transport workers backed by a local ward councillor.
Local government ministry later suspended the councillor on the allegation of creating obstruction to City Corporation’s eviction drive.
“Social nuisance of drug peddling and other anti-social activities had been going on there since long centering the unauthorized truck stand,” Khalid added.
Immediately after the eviction, City Corporation officials embarked on building boundary walls under the police vigilance.
“The reclaimed land would be used for developing markets and some other establishment of the city corporation,” added Khalid.
The DSCC official said that the evicted truck owners could use the authorized truck stand, just close to Sayedabad.
The eviction was carried out as part of ongoing drive of the local government body of South Dhaka.
