40 illegal houses evicted from hills

The local administration yesterday launched an eviction drive at AK Khan Hill at Tigerpass area in the city. On the second day of the drive, a total of 40 houses were evicted as a measure of precaution to avert possible loss of lives from landslides ahead of monsoon. This year the first drive which was conducted in Motijhorna area evicted 30 houses on June 14. A four-member team led by Assistant Commissioners and executive magistrates including, Abu Hasan Siddique, Saiful Islam Mohammad Afzal Hossain and Mohammad Shamsuzzaman,  began the drive at 10:30am also severed the connection to the illegal utility services including gas, power and water. After a meeting on June 2, the Divisional Hill Management Committee (DHMC) which is a composite of 15 government agencies issued a warning to the residents of 11 hills that are prone to landslides. In order to prevent casualties from landslides caused by heavy rainfall, the DHMC also asked the 666 unauthorised families living illegally in the downhill in different areas of the city to relocate their habitat to safer places on their own by June 9.
Some evicted settlers, however, complained that they neither get any eviction notice nor hear any direction given by loudspeakers. Chittagong Deputy Commissioner Mesbah Uddin and Additional Deputy Commissioner Mohammad Illias Hossain visited AK Khan Hill at 1:00pm. While talking to the journalists on the spot, the DC said that the eviction drive would continue throughout the month of Ramzan. “We have asked the residents in risky hill areas to move to safer places since living on top of these hills are very risky and torrential rains could claim their lives. We have asked them through loudspeaker to shift their homes. We also threatened to start eviction drive from June 9 if they do not comply with our order. However, they did not pay heed to our direction,” said the DC. “Apart from evicting the illegal settlers, we are severing the connection to the illegal utility services including gas, power and water,” added the DC.   The evicted settlers who are mostly garment workers, rickshaw pullers and day labourers, however, said that they had nowhere to go. “I do not live here out of joy. Rather, I am compelled to live here as I cannot afford to rent a better house. I do not know where I should go now. We have no other option before us. The government can easily give us land where we would build houses at our own cost,” said an evicted slum-dweller at AK Khan Hill.

40 illegal houses evicted from hills

The local administration yesterday launched an eviction drive at AK Khan Hill at Tigerpass area in the city. On the second day of the drive, a total of 40 houses were evicted as a measure of precaution to avert possible loss of lives from landslides ahead of monsoon. This year the first drive which was conducted in Motijhorna area evicted 30 houses on June 14. A four-member team led by Assistant Commissioners and executive magistrates including, Abu Hasan Siddique, Saiful Islam Mohammad Afzal Hossain and Mohammad Shamsuzzaman, began the drive at 10:30am also severed the connection to the illegal utility services including gas, power and water. After a meeting on June 2, the Divisional Hill Management Committee (DHMC) which is a composite of 15 government agencies issued a warning to the residents of 11 hills that are prone to landslides. In order to prevent casualties from landslides caused by heavy rainfall, the DHMC also asked the 666 unauthorised families living illegally in the downhill in different areas of the city to relocate their habitat to safer places on their own by June 9. Some evicted settlers, however, complained that they neither get any eviction notice nor hear any direction given by loudspeakers. Chittagong Deputy Commissioner Mesbah Uddin and Additional Deputy Commissioner Mohammad Illias Hossain visited AK Khan Hill at 1:00pm. While talking to the journalists on the spot, the DC said that the eviction drive would continue throughout the month of Ramzan. We have asked the residents in risky hill areas to move to safer places since living on top of these hills are very risky and torrential rains could claim their lives. We have asked them through loudspeaker to shift their homes. We also threatened to start eviction drive from June 9 if they do not comply with our order. However, they did not pay heed to our direction, said the DC. Apart from evicting the illegal settlers, we are severing the connection to the illegal utility services including gas, power and water, added the DC. The evicted settlers who are mostly garment workers, rickshaw pullers and day labourers, however, said that they had nowhere to go. I do not live here out of joy. Rather, I am compelled to live here as I cannot afford to rent a better house. I do not know where I should go now. We have no other option before us. The government can easily give us land where we would build houses at our own cost, said an evicted slum-dweller at AK Khan Hill.