Staff Reporter :
Dhaka South City Corporation (DSCC)’s eviction drive was obstructed by the traders of Gulistan Fulbaria Super Market when the officials went to evict illegal parts of Fulbaria Supermarket-2 on Tuesday noon.
Later police and traders clashed at the market. As a result the protesting traders of Fulbaria Super Market-2 began throwing bricks at a bulldozer of the DSCC as it was ripping through the shops around 2pm on Tuesday.
The police then appeared on the scene and lobbed tear-gas on the crowd to bring the situation under control. Police said they restored discipline in the area.
Later the officials of South City Corporation started the eviction campaign.
Russell Sabrin, DSCC’s Chief Property Officer said that the shops had been set up in unplanned areas of the market.
The space of lift, stairs and toilets have been replaced by shops.
So it has been decided to evict as many as 911 such shops. After this decision, the shopkeepers have been urged to leave the shop by Monday. As part of the initiative three executive magistrates of the city corporation came to the spot to evict the non-design shop, DSCC officials added.
Earlier, shopkeepers took position on the road adjacent to the market since the morning. At one stage, the agitated traders broke the lock of the city corporation given in the market.
According to the market traders, they paid lakhs of taka to legalize these unplanned shops during the time of former mayor Saeed Khokon.
But, DSCC Mayor Sheikh Fazle Nur Taposh has warned there would be no illegal occupants in the city corporation area.
The eviction would continue at any cost, Mayor Taposh added.
It is mentionable that the corporation has temporarily allotted as many as 911 out-of-design shops at Fulbaria Super Market-2.
From March 2012 to March 2020, DSCC collected around Tk 4.5 crore as rent. Apart from legal rent, the owners’ association also took huge amount of money from traders for various reasons.
