The National Housing Authority carried out a slum eviction operation at the 12th block of Jhilpar in Mirpur on January 21. The eviction was conducted by a mobile court and police forces, which targeted land allocated to the Dhaka Journalist Association. Allegedly, the eviction extended beyond the designated land and affected areas that were not part of the housing authority’s allocation. As a result, more than 20,000 people have been rendered homeless, with many seen spending the night under the open sky, carrying their belongings. Some lit fires to keep warm, while others were looking for new places to settle.

Residents have complained that despite providing information to the magistrate that some of the land was not occupied by the Housing Authority, their concerns were ignored. A nearly complete cow farm built on private land was also demolished. Just a week before, the slum's electricity and water connections were cut, causing a disruption in the gas supply to nearby areas. Local hotels faced food shortages as well.

In 2006, the National Housing Authority allocated seven acres of land in Jhilpar to the Dhaka Journalist Cooperative Society. The society claims that the land was encroached upon three years later. According to its president, Sadarul Hasan, the land is now being recovered by the current government. He alleged that the land was occupied by people linked to former MP Ilias Mollah, and they would reclaim it every time it was vacated. However, in contrast to Hasan's claims, an anonymous source stated that Ilias Mollah became an MP in 2008, two years after the land was allocated. The source also claimed that the cooperative received help in securing the land and had even altered documents from the Housing Authority. Last year, a comparative blueprint of the land's actual position was created, but progress stalled afterward. Some of the original owners of the land had also built homes there.

The residents, expressing anger at the eviction without prior notice, have demanded relocation assistance. However, Executive Magistrate Taibur Rahman Ashik of the National Housing Authority stated that the eviction was carried out after providing prior notice.

-Nazrul Islam

News Editor