Spinning Mills built in the middle of the river Turag

The Rajdhani Unnayan Kartripakkha (Rajuk) or Capital City Development Authority yesterday staged a rather ridiculous eviction drive with 10 labourers to knock down only 80 square feet brick wall of a 9,292 square metres spinning mills being built on the flood flow zone of the Turag river.

Led by an executive magistrate, the eviction team arrived at the site in Bhadam of Tongi at 1:00pm.

The workers, who had only six hammers, were only able to make a hole on the wall of the proposed Lamichha Spinning Mills. They also cut a 20-foot long iron rod laid on the ground.

It took them till 4:00pm, when they ended the drive upon an undertaking that the factory owner will demolish the structure.

Mr. Parvez Khadem, officer concerned of Rajuk, said the owner had no approval for building the structure.

About the drive, he said, “We did not have adequate technical support today. We did not have required equipment and manpower to do the job but we started it and we will do it on a full scale later.”

Mr. Kamrul Hasan, a deputy town planner of Rajuk, said the site was designated as flood flow zone in Dhaka’s master plan and no structure could be built there.

Mr. Anwarul Islam Ferdous, a director of Anotex Group which owns the proposed spinning mills, said they started setting up the factory after taking approval from Tongi municipality and permission from the Inland Water Transport Authority to use the river foreshore.

Rajuk Executive Magistrate Mr. AKM Maruf Hasan, who led the drive, said the municipality had no authority to give such approval as per a cabinet decision after Rana Plaza collapse last year.

Moreover, it is a designated flood flow zone, where the character of land is not alterable.