Madhabpur, Nov 20 (V7N) – More than 100 roadside shops and structures built illegally on government land were demolished on Thursday as part of the ADB-funded SASEC Dhaka–Sylhet Corridor Road Development Project. The eviction drive was conducted along the Madhabpur Sadar–Jagadishpur section of the highway to free land required for road expansion.

The operation began at 10 a.m. and was led by Executive Magistrate Mohammad Ashfakul Haque Chowdhury, Deputy Secretary of the Estate and Legal Wing of the Roads and Highways Department. Alongside the demolition, a mobile court was operated to enforce relevant laws and ensure compliance during the eviction process.

The drive was supported by Habiganj RHD Executive Engineer Md. Zakir Hossain, members of the police force, and a team from the Bangladesh Army, which ensured full security and maintained law and order in the area throughout the campaign.

Executive Magistrate Ashfakul Haque Chowdhury said the eviction was essential to remove long-standing obstacles in Packages 3 (DS–05 and DS–06) of the SASEC project. He noted that clearing the encroached land would finally allow road-widening work to proceed without further delays, expediting project implementation.

However, many affected shop owners alleged that they were not given sufficient time to relocate their establishments before the demolition began. Several claimed financial losses amounting to tens of millions of taka due to the sudden eviction.

Authorities confirmed that the operation was completed without any major untoward incidents.

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