High Court halts eviction of Harijan colony for one month

The High Court has imposed a one-month suspension on the eviction process of the Miron Jalla Harijan City Colony in Aga Sadek Lane, Old Dhaka. 

The Dhaka South City Corporation authorities have been instructed to enforce this order immediately.

The directive means that no eviction activities can be conducted within the next 30 days, according to the lawyers involved in the case. 

Additionally, the court has issued a rule asking why the decision to evict the residents without prior rehabilitation should not be declared illegal. 

The Local Government secretary and the Dhaka South City Corporation have been asked to respond to this rule.

The eviction was planned to make way for the construction of a multi-storeyed raw market. 

The court has emphasised the necessity of making alternative arrangements for the residents of the Miron Jalla Harijan City Colony before initiating their removal.

The order was issued by the HC bench of Justice Farah Mahbub and Justice Md Atabullah on Thursday (13 June), following a preliminary hearing on a public interest writ petition.

Advocates Ainunnahar Siddiqua and Manoj Kumar Bhowmik represented the petitioners in court. 

Advocate Siddiqua noted that the court viewed the matter with significant humanity, pointing out that the Harijans are crucial for cleaning up the waste generated during the upcoming Eid celebrations. 

If they are evicted now, there will be no one to perform this essential service, leaving them with nowhere to go, she said.

Opposition leader and Jatiya Party Chairman Ghulam Muhammed Quader MP has condemned the eviction plan, describing it as the greatest robbery, at a press conference after visiting the colony this morning.

"The Harijan community has been providing essential health services since the British era and endured extreme hardships while working as cleaners for the city corporation", said Quader. 

He also criticised the government's focus on partisan interests and the development of individuals and party affiliates rather than the general population. 

He questioned where the 5-6 thousand residents would go if evicted and denounced the government's lack of consideration for these vulnerable people.

He said, "Evicting these people and dividing up the land for personal gain under the guise of development is a grave injustice". 

Previously, the Dhaka South City Corporation had issued a notice for the eviction of the Miron Jalla Harijan City Colony. However, the eviction attempt was met with resistance and subsequently halted a few days ago.

The corporation owns approximately 3.27 acres of land in the Miron Jalla sweeper colony, where the Harijan community has been residing for many years. 

The plan to construct a modern raw market on 27% of the land requires the demolition of some existing houses. The current raw market occupies 17% of the land, and this initiative aims to clear structures from the remaining area