As part of its drive to free the city’s rivers of encroachers, the Bangladesh Inland Water Transport Authority (BIWTA) pulled down a total of 29 illegal structures on the banks of the Turag river yesterday.

Officials of the BIWTA, with the aid of the local administration, conducted the drive in the city’s Kaundia area. The BIWTA team also reclaimed the Kumarkhali canal during the eviction drive. The canal had been grabbed by certain influential groups.

“We have pulled down a total of 29 illegal structures today (Wednesday). Among them was a three-storey residential building, four two-storey residential buildings, 12 one-storey buildings, seven semi-pucca houses and five tin shade houses,” AKM Arif Uddin, joint director of the BIWTA (in-charge Dhaka river port), told The Independent yesterday. On Monday, the BIWTA had demolished a total of 56 illegal structures in Mirpur’s Chotto Diabari and Savar’s Kaundia areas.

The BIWTA has pulled down a total of 2,796 illegal structures on the banks of the Buriganga and Turag rivers in its 23-day eviction drive that began on January 29, reclaiming of 60 acres of land, Arif said.

Shipping secretary Abdus Samad yesterday visited the eviction spot and spoke of their future plan concerning the reclaimed land.

“We will construct ghats, walkways, parks, install permanent pillars and introduce night navigation. We have a plan to develop tourism based on the city rivers,” the shipping secretary told reporters.

The BIWTA will do an eviction drive from Shinnirtek Mirpur Beribandh to the upstream of the Turag river today (Thursday).

The areas where the drive has been conducted are Keraniganj, Sadarghat, Kamrangirchar, Kholamora, Nababchar, Jhauchar, Bosila, Gabtali, Aminbazar, Mirpur Borobazar, Shinnirtek, Kaundia and Zahurabad Palpara.

Many illegal houses built by grabbing the river land have been brought down during the drive.

Arif said the evicted housing companies were Dhaka Uddyan, Afsana Housing, Amin Momin Housing, Madhu Haji Housing, Silicon Housing, Akash Nila Western City Housing Ltd, Chandrima Uddyan Housing, Bosila Housing, Anirban Housing, Turag Housing and others.