STAFF CORRESPONDENT

At least 44 people were arrested, and around Tk 10 lakh was realised as fines during a five-day drive by the Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP) to reclaim encroached footpaths and roads in the capital.

The drive, which began on April 1 and ended yesterday, was carried out in different areas under the DMP’s Lalbagh, Wari, Ramna, Mirpur, Motijheel, Tejgaon, Gulshan, and Uttara traffic divisions.

Additional Commissioner (Traffic) Anisur Rahman said follow-up operations will be conducted in the cleared areas to prevent reoccupation. “We will continue monitoring so that encroachers cannot return. Our next steps will be announced through mass awareness campaigns,” he said.

He also said the government is actively working on the issue of evicted vendors’ rehabilitation. “Initially, vendors may be accommodated in eight designated locations through holiday and night markets,” he added.

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