Following the recent drive against illegal establishments occupying canals and government lands in Ramchandrapur of the capital's Mohamamdpur, the Dhaka North City Corporation (DNCC) authorities are now considering different plans to properly utilize the area to prevent future land grabbing.
The operation began to reclaim the canal on Thursday and continued on Friday and Saturday. In addition to the canal's land, the DNCC also freed some of its own land from illegal occupation.
On the first day of the three-day canal reclamation effort, the DNCC dismantled slums, a temporary office of a political party, grocery stores, and the prominent Sadeeq Agro's cattle farm.
On the third day of the eviction drive, the Ramchandrapur canal and the surrounding area were bustling with both the eviction operation and canal excavation. Sadeeq Agro's cattle farm, which had illegally rented land on the canal, was completely demolished. Additionally, more than fifty shanties in a slum were removed.
Banners from the Deputy Commissioner’s Office indicated that nearly an acre of government land had been occupied for a long time.
Following the drive, DNCC began excavating the canal. To prevent future encroachments, plans are in place to develop a children's playground on one section of the canal.
The DNCC plans to build a small park at the beginning of the canal for children to play in.
A DNCC official, wishing to remain anonymous, said that the vacated land would be turned into a recreational park for the local community to prevent future encroachments. If left vacant, people might gradually try to reclaim the land by dumping sand.
Regarding this, DNCC Information Officer Pial Hasan said: "No large-scale plan has been finalized yet. However, special arrangements may be made for children's play areas to keep the land free from encroachments."
Reaction of locals
Local residents have welcomed the canal reclamation operation. They believe that restoring the water flow in the canal will alleviate rainwater-induced flooding in the surrounding areas and improve the environment. They hope for a well-maintained environment for their children to grow up in.
Faruk Hossain, director of the Sat Masjid Housing Cooperative Society and a local resident, said: "We don't want an inch of land beyond our rightful share. We want to see the canal free from encroachments and no slums along its banks. The canal should be dredged to restore its water flow as before."
Another local resident Nurul Islam Gazi said: "I bought three katha of land by this canal in 1994. The canal was beautiful and deep then, with good water flow. We want the canal to be dredged deeply again."
Conversations with locals revealed that over time, local influential individuals and several housing projects gradually occupied the canal.
According to them, the canal used to be about 100 feet wide. At one point, it was completely filled and turned into a truck stand.
After Dhaka Wasa handed over the canal's responsibility to DNCC, Mayor Atiqul Islam surprised everyone by demolishing the truck stand and starting canal excavation. This gave new hope to the locals. When encroachment resumed, the city authorities launched a fresh eviction drive.
Residents of the slum built on the occupied canal said they were allowed to live there by local influential people, who later charged them for electricity and water.
