Rajdhani Unnayan Kartripakkha (Rajuk) and Bangladesh Inland Water Transport Authority (BIWTA) yesterday knocked down around 300 illegal structures along Mirpur Road and the Buriganga riverbank.

During the drive, Rajuk authorities also instructed owners of restaurants, department stores and fastfood shops, including Xin Xian, Helvetia, Western Grill and Haat Bazar, along the Mirpur Road to

move their business from their current locations as they have violated Rajuk's building guidelines.

"We intended to demolish those structures but the owners assured us, in writing, that they themselves would leave those places soon. So we left those untouched," said ASM Emdadud Dastagir, the magistrate leading the Rajuk team.

"The owners of most of the buildings did not follow the original designs," he added. The Rajuk eviction team yesterday started their drive at Sukanya Tower near Priayangan Shopping centre on Mirpur road. The owner of Sukanya Tower was using the ground, first and second floors for business purposes while the original Rajuk approved design mentioned it as a car park. The Rajuk team vacated those floors and instructed the owner to use it as a car park.

Rajuk demolished illegal newspaper stands, fruit shops and extension of buildings on Mirpur road. The law enforcers, who accompanied the Rajuk team, beat up a number of local youths as they tried to resist the eviction when the team reached Kalabagan.

The Rajuk drive ended around 5:45pm.

BIWTA DRIVE

The BIWTA eviction team yesterday demolished 224 structures, scheduled to be torn-down yesterday, at Mitford, Champatali, Charkaliganj and Islambagh areas along the Buriganga riverbank.

At Mitford, they demolished 66 structures of which 40 were made of concrete. During the drive, the eviction team also demolished a number of others illegal structures which were not earmarked to be demolished yesterday.

However, BIWTA did not file any cases against the encroachers.

"We are not filing any cases against them, just demolishing the structures, " said Sharif Afzal Hossain, a BIWTA official. The authorities are trying to protect the Buriganga bank, he added.