QUOTING transport workers and truckers, The New Nation on Monday reported that despite the fact that the Tejgaon Truck Terminal is illegally built and a den of drug traders and muggers they would not allow its removal from the city center or allow its eviction. The Mayor of Dhaka North City Corporation (DNCC) last week attempted to evict the terminal after the union leaders earlier agreed in negotiation with the city government. But when the DNCC eviction team came to the spot, they held the Mayor for several hours and forced him to leave without execution of the order. The Home Minister who controls police, Shipping Minister who controls transport workers and Disaster and Relief Minister who is a powerful leader of the ruling party city unit were scheduled to remain on the spot to make the eviction free from any chaos. But mysteriously they did not while the Railway Minister who came to free land of his Ministry was allowed to leave the spot under police escort. The Mayor on that agreed to build a new truck terminal outside the city but they are boosting now saying nobody would be able to evict the terminal to make the city clean and free from anti-social elements. It is known that political leaders realize tolls from the terminal and areas around it by letting shops and slums on rent to the poor. They use these persons to face opposition in the streets and the money to foot the bills of political programmes. But what matters more is that the Ministers and Government leaders have abandoned the Mayor pushing him at physical risks and indirectly allowing the terminal to stay unaffected to run their illegal business. Such treatments to the Mayor who represents the North City’s population is almost a betrayal and highlight the double standard that the Government Ministers maintain. We are really bewildered to see how these truckers and muggers can dare to openly denounce the Mayor’s attempt to evict the place and move to a new location. Their strength is the strength coming from the indirect support of the Government Ministers who are encouraging them by keeping absent from eviction drives breaking promises. We want to see the city free from dirty truck terminal and the Mayor’s proposal to build a new terminal is a very sympathetic gesture. In our view they should accept it while the Government Ministers must help the Mayor to be effective to run the city business. Anarchy can’t be a way to keep the city hostage in the hands of muggers while the government leaders would claim to be public leaders to allow dirty business dominating the city.
