How a goat led to eviction of Sadeeq Agro
During the eviction, the goat was moved to an open space nearby
Dhaka North city authorities today initiated an eviction drive at Sadeeq Agro farm, which had illegally occupied the Ramchandrapur canal and adjacent road in Mohammadpur, Dhaka.
The farm, recently implicated in the so-called "goat scandal", had encroached upon the canal site for years and the silence of city authorities on this matter all these years is now raising questions among common citizens and urban planners.
Dhaka North demolished several structures, including Sadeeq Agro's establishments and an Awami League office, claiming to have reclaimed about 10 bighas of land.
The farm had erected temporary sheds and a building on the canal site, hindering water flow completely since the occupation, even during the monsoon, reducing it to a narrow channel.
On 31 December 2020, after several canals in the capital were transferred from Dhaka Wasa to the two city corporations, Dhaka North did not take action against Sadeeq Agro, despite conducting raids in other parts of the area.
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On 24 January 2022, Dhaka North launched an operation under the leadership of Mayor Atiqul Islam to clear the illegally encroached areas of Lautla Canal (branch of Ramchandrapur) in Basila, just 1km from Sadeeq Agro, where an illegal truck terminal was evicted.
Then again on 23 January this year, despite clearing other illegal encroachments near the Lautla canal, including part of an under-construction 10-storey building, Sadeeq Agro remained untouched.
Media reports have repeatedly highlighted Sadeeq Agro's encroachment on Dhaka North's canal boundaries, yet the city authorities did not address the issue.
Akter Mahmud, a professor in the Department of Urban and Regional Planning at Jahangirnagar University, said rather than relying on superficial raids, developing the city's drainage system to restore the canal's flow is essential.
Mahmud, also a former president of the Bangladesh Institute of Planners, said it is not possible to protect the canals by carrying out isolated operations or by cleaning the canal waste.
"In order to save the canals of Dhaka, the flow of water in the canals should be brought back in stages with a plan. For this, the city corporation has to develop the drainage system by setting targets," he said.
Mutakabbir Ahmed, Dhaka North's Zonal Executive Officer (Zone-5), told TBS that their campaign targeted illegal encroachers, not individuals or institutions.
Policy dictates that no structure can be within 30 feet of the canal. The landowner's documents showed ownership of 4.86 decimals, but they occupied an entire bigha, added Mutakabbir.
"We notified Sadeeq Agro owner Imran Hossain before Eid, asking him to remove any illegal structures. We delayed the eviction drive to avoid market instability before Eid, but Imran took no action," he said.
Sadeeq Agro rented only 4.86 decimals of land from owner Abdul Alim Talukdar for Tk25,000 per month but occupied more than 15 decimals of canal area, Mutakabbir told TBS.
He said the evacuation will continue for the next three days. The buildings evacuated include shops, restaurants, timber mills, political party offices and Sadeeq Agro's cattle farm. After the eviction, the mobile court sold the seized goods at an open auction for Tk67,500
He further said that during the raid, no representatives from Sadeeq Agro were present. They had also been notified on 18 May not to dump waste in the canal but did not cooperate.
Sadeeq Agro came under scrutiny after a controversy over a Tk15 lakh goat which they reportedly sold to Mushfiqur Rahman Ifat, son of ex-National Board of Revenue member Matiur Rahman.
The much talked about goat which was priced at Tk15 lakh was also kept here. During the eviction, the goat was moved to an open space nearby.
Imran Hossain, the owner of Sadeeq Agro farm, said there is a conspiracy against him.
The district administration and water development board indicated that the buildings were outside the canals when the city corporation took over, said Imran, who is also the president of Bangladesh Dairy Farmers Association.
"I don't own the building; I'm just a tenant. Since I'm renting this land, the eviction drive doesn't concern me. I'll relocate. The landowner built the sheds; I've only rented the ground floor. Claims about canal filling involve the owner, not me," added Imran.
The land is owned by Abdul Rashid Talukder but is looked after by his brother Abdul Alim.
Abdul Alim told TBS that Sadeeq Agro had taken the land on lease. Imran renewed the lease for three years on 1 April this year.
Abdul Alim told TBS the amount of land we have here is 4.86 decimal and the relevant authorities had determined the establishments were not breaking any rules.
However, Dhaka North's Mutakabbir Ahmed said policy dictates that no structure can be within 30 feet of the canal.
"The landowner's documents showed ownership of 4.86 decimals, but they occupied an entire bigha," he added.
