Lutfur Rahman Kajol, member of parliament from Cox’s Bazar-3 constituency, on Monday visited the evicted area at Sugandha Beach and discussed possible arrangements for the rehabilitation of small traders who had removed their shops from the beach.
Kajol inspected the cleared areas along the dunes at Sugandha Point on Monday afternoon. He was accompanied by Md Abdul Mannan, deputy commissioner of Cox’s Bazar; A N M Sajedur Rahman, superintendent of police; Shahidul Alam, additional district magistrate; Imran Hossain Sajib, additional deputy commissioner (general); and Azim Khan, executive magistrate of the tourism cell.
Addressing the deputy commissioner, Kajol said the traders had complied with the government’s directive and removed their shops without creating any disorder.
“With Eid approaching, we should consider what can be done for them. They have families to support. If possible, they should be rehabilitated from a humanitarian perspective, which may include providing them with access to social services, job training, and support for their families,” he said.
Deputy Commissioner Abdul Mannan said the administration would look for available government land to relocate the traders.
“We need to identify vacant khas land. If a suitable site is found, the traders will be rehabilitated there so that they do not have to run from place to place,” he said, adding that steps would be taken quickly so that the traders could resume business before Eid.
According to officials, more than 400 small shops set up on the dunes at Sugandha Point were voluntarily removed by traders on Sunday, in the second phase of the clearing drive. A day earlier, the district administration removed over a hundred shops from the same area.
Meanwhile, traders also removed all shops from the dunes at Kolatoli Beach on Sunday afternoon.
Earlier on March 9, during a district law and order committee meeting, Salahuddin Ahmed, adviser on home affairs, directed authorities to remove all illegal structures from the beach within a week. Following the directive, the district administration launched an eviction drive against illegal establishments along the beach from Thursday.
Cox’s Bazar Life Report
Photo: Courtesy
