Administration demolishes over 100 structures, including AL office, in Jessore

BD Digest Correspondent:
Hundreds of houses and structures have been demolished in the long eviction drive of the National Housing Authority in the suburbs of Jessore. These include two regional offices of the Awami League and several business establishments. However, local residents have expressed strong anger, calling this strict stance of the administration ‘inhumane’. People who have lived for 20 to 30 years suddenly lost their homes and are now living in an inhumane way under the open sky.

The operation was conducted in the Bablatla, Gabtala, B-Block and C-Block areas of the suburb from 9 am to 4 pm on Saturday. The list of evictions included B-Block Bazar and two Awami League offices located in front of the Upashahar Park. In addition, more than fifty houses and two factories in the Amtala slum were demolished with bricks. The authorities have announced that the second phase of the operation will be conducted again on Monday.

The air in the area became heavy with the cries of people who lost their homes during the operation. The affected residents alleged that the eviction was carried out suddenly without any prior notice. Many claim that they have been living here for the past 20 to 30 years. Due to this sudden decision of the administration, they did not even get enough time to remove the furniture from their homes.

One of the victims said, “If we say it is illegal, can a house built 20 to 30 years ago be demolished in an instant? Where will we go, where will we live with these children? This is extreme inhumanity on the part of the administration.” Many claim that in the past, they got permission to live there by paying some dishonest officials of the housing authority. Now, the same administration has bulldozed them.

Ziaur Rahman, executive engineer of the Khulna division of the National Housing Authority, who led the operation, said that about 5 acres of government khas land have been recovered. The market value of which is about 500 million taka. He said that despite being asked to move away by miking several times, the occupants did not listen. We were forced to be strict in recovering government property.

Although the administration calls it ‘recovery of government land’, in the eyes of the local common people, it is a ‘humanitarian disaster’. The families who lost their homes say that even though the influential have been occupying the land for so long, ordinary poor people are being punished. Hundreds of people are now homeless. The question has arisen in the public mind, how logical is it to evict thousands of people like this without making alternative rehabilitation arrangements?

The administration has said that no influential person will be spared and the campaign will continue to keep government land free from encroachment. On the other hand, the evicted families are now pleading with the government for shelter.