Five illegal shops, including a tin-shed building that had stood for nearly 40 years, have been removed from the Goriarpara-Banaripara-Charchina-Swarupkathi-Kaukhali-Naikathi highway on the north side of Kachuakati Bailey Bridge in Pirojpur’s Kaukhali upazila.
The Roads and Highways Department cleared the structures with a bulldozer around noon on Wednesday (September 16), in the presence of Pirojpur district administration’s revenue deputy collector, Md Rubaiyat Ferdous, and the sub-divisional engineer of Pirojpur’s roads division, Md Al Amin.
A work order had been issued for the construction of a modern PC girder bridge at the site, but construction had long been obstructed by illegal structures standing on land belonging to the Roads and Highways Department. The department had issued a final notice for the illegal structures to be removed by September 14. As they were not removed within that deadline, the eviction drive was carried out on the court’s directive and in the public interest.
Deputy collector Md Rubaiyat Ferdous said the drive was carried out in the public interest and on the court’s order, and that such eviction operations on government land would continue in the future.
Local resident Sayem Uddin said the removal of the long-standing structure had fulfilled a long-held demand of local residents. “We are hopeful this will allow the bridge construction to be completed quickly and ease traffic congestion in the area,” he said.