Staff Correspondent
The Dhaka District Administration and the Bangladesh Inland Water Transport Authority (BIWTA) will conduct a two-day joint eviction drive on August 20 and 21 to free the banks of the Buriganga River from illegal occupation. The operation, confirmed in a letter signed by BIWTA’s Joint Director (Port and Transport Division) Mohammad Mustafizur Rahman on Tuesday, will involve mobile courts led by executive magistrates and a substantial deployment of police force.
The drive is being carried out in compliance with orders from the High Court issued in Writ Petitions No. 3503/2009 and 13989/2016. The operation will target the removal of all illegal structures and earth-filling from the riverbanks in the areas from Postogola Bridge to Dhopatia/Katullia Ghat, covering the mouzas (land tracts) of Char Mererbag, Nayatola, Doleshwar, Hazaribag, and Katullia under the South Keraniganj Police Station. Executive magistrates will lead the mobile courts and be responsible for maintaining overall law and order and magisterial duties during the operation.
According to BIWTA sources, long-standing encroachments and illegal structures on the Buriganga’s banks have significantly narrowed the river. Regular eviction programs are undertaken in the interest of environmental conservation and naval safety. For this specific drive, the Dhaka District Superintendent of Police’s office has been requested to ensure a sufficient police force is deployed on-site to support the joint efforts of the local administration, district magistrates, and law enforcement agencies.