24-hr CMP ultimatum to encroachers

A team of about 30 policemen in riot gear gave a 24-hour ultimatum to the encroachers to remove their scraps and other machinery piled up on the road and footpaths.

The road stretching from Dhanialapara in Dewanhat to Kadamtali Shuvapur Bus Station and Barik Building in Agrabad was under illegal occupation for more than 20 years. Scrap iron traders had dumped heaps of scraps on the road that narrowed down the actual width by 75 percent, only allowing one single truck to pass instead of four.

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Meanwhile, traders started clearing the road. But the traders have sought time to remove their heavy machinery.

"I think the encroachers will clear the road completely by tomorrow (Thursday) and hopefully we don't have to resort to other tougher means," said Deputy Commissioner (Traffic) Jahangir Hossain Matubbar.

Local people said that vehicular movements had virtually become impossible in the area due to this illegal occupation.

Jahangir, who led the four-hour drive from 9.30am, said about three-fourth of this vital road has long been inaccessible. The DC traffic of the traffic-clogged port city expressed his surprise as to how a major thoroughfare could remain under illegal occupation for so many years.

Local people and traders, however, said they pay the cops regularly to run their business. They said they had to pay between Tk 100 and Tk 1,000 per week, depending on the size of the encroachment, to the collectors assigned by the police.