21,443 illegal structures evicted from riverbanks: State minister

Around 21,443 illegal structures have been evicted from different riverbanks of the country so far and some 723.62 acre shoreline has been recovered, said State Minister for Shipping Khalid Mahmud Chowdhury today.

The state minister placed the statistics in parliament today while replying to a question from ruling Awami League MP Benzir Ahmed from Dhaka-20 constituency.

In the scripted answer, the junior minister said that eviction drives are ongoing since 2010 to free the country's riverbanks from the hands of illegal land grabbers.

The state minister said of the total 21,443 illegal structures, 16,424 illegal establishments have been evicted from Dhaka's river ports, 4,769 structures from Narayanganj river ports, 141 structures from Barishal river ports, 50 from Ashuganj , and 59 illegal structures from Nawapara river ports.

The state minister said the National River Protection Commission has listed the illegal occupants of the country's rivers through all the deputy commissioners in the country.

Khalid Mahmud Chowdhury said the total number of illegal grabbers stood at 65,127, while placing the statistics in the parliament.

"That's why eviction drives are being conducted all over the country. About 19,874 illegal occupants have been evicted," the state minister said.

With Speaker Shirin Sharmin Chaudhury in the chair, the question-answer session of yesterday's sitting was tabled.