An effort to reclaim previously cleared land along the Bakkhali riverbank in Cox’s Bazar town was initiated the night before the national parliamentary election. Approximately 30 makeshift dwellings have been erected using bamboo, tin, and tarpaulin materials.
However, some of these constructions were torn down by activists from Cox’s Bazar town unit Chhatra Dal (JCD). Despite this, a number of houses are still being built on the site, as observed during a recent visit.
The Bangladesh Inland Water Transport Authority (BIWTA) has stated that it has issued notifications to the district administration, law enforcement agencies, and other relevant bodies to take immediate action.
Md Abdul Wakil, the BIWTA Cox’s Bazar Port Officer, mentioned that previous occupants capitalized on law enforcement’s preoccupation with election duties to start reconstructing buildings on the previously cleared land. He reported that over 30 houses have been erected, with several more under construction. Requests for prompt action have been forwarded to higher authorities and relevant agencies.
As per a communication sent on Saturday, BIWTA carried out an eviction operation from September 1 to 5 last year in the Kasturaghat area along the riverbank, resulting in the recovery of about 63 acres of land and the demolition of around 496 temporary and permanent structures.
Following this, when BIWTA officials tried to set up boundary markers, they were allegedly assaulted by individuals associated with the previous occupiers. The operation was halted, and BIWTA and police lodged cases against 40 named individuals and several others connected to the incident.
Illegal construction work has resumed from the Kasturaghat river port boundary area to the Kurushkul new bridge since the night preceding the election. BIWTA has notified its higher authorities, the district administration, police administration, and approximately 15 relevant agencies, urging necessary measures.
In response to rumors linking the occupation to the BNP through banners and decorations, activists from the town unit Chhatra Dal dismantled various unauthorized shop structures.
Shafayet Munna, former joint secretary of Cox’s Bazar town Chhatra Dal, stated that, acting on instructions from Cox’s Bazar-3 MP-elect Lutfur Rahman Kajol, they intervened and removed the illegal constructions. He mentioned that the previous occupants were attempting to exploit the BNP’s name for their actions.
A recent inspection of the Bakkhali riverbank revealed several newly constructed bamboo-and-tin homes scattered on the western side of the new Khurushkul bridge. The remnants of demolished shop structures were visible along the road leading to the bridge, which were taken down by Chhatra Dal activists on Saturday night. A few other structures were also observed in the process of being built.
Local residents indicated that the occupiers have retreated into concealment following the Chhatra Dal intervention.
