Golapbag Stadium under illegal occupation of flyover contractors

Dhaka South City Corporation failed to recover Golapbag Stadium from illegal occupants in over two weeks since launching an eviction drive.
The stadium has been under use for the storage of construction materials by contractors of Mayor Mohammad Hanif Flyover since 2006.
Though required to vacate the stadium on completion of the flyover, the stadium has been under illegal occupation of the contractors since 2013 when the flyover was completed.
Contractors, Orion and Simplex, continue to keep the entrances to the stadium closed to local boys, DSCC chief executive officer Khan Mohammad Bilal told New Age.
Locals accused DSCC officials of toeing soft line with the illegal occupants.
As a result, they said, the area’s lone playground became off limits to inhabitants of four wards. 
Bilal refuted the allegation and said that the DSCC did not have the heavy cranes needed to remove heavy equipment stored in the stadium. 
DSCC chief estate officer Khalid Ahmed said that in 2006, Orion Group was allowed to store its construction materials and equipment without any rent under 
an agreement that required it to removed its materials on completion of construction of the flyover.
He said that the contractors ignored several notices the DSCC served since 2013 asking them to vacate the stadium. 
Since launching an eviction drive on October 31, he said, DSCC demolished several illegal structures inside the stadium near the Sayedabad bus terminal.
Locals said that the drive was half hearted as the DSCC launched it under pressure from them.
Councilor of Ward No 49 Badal Sarder said the eviction drive became useless as the local inhabitants could not even enter the stadium.
In 2013, local inhabitants launched Golapbag Math Rokkha Andolan to get the stadium vacated for use as playground by thousands of students. 
GMRA coordinator Hasnat Jubaer said that the stadium was the lone playground for thousands of inhabitants in the area. 
Hasnat demanded that the DSCC must get the stadium vacated for the local youth without further delay.
Orion Group’s security chief Md Naif Uddin Khan said that the stadium’s possession could not be handed back to the DSCC as Orion’s partner Simplex Infrastructures Ltd stored their materials and equipment in it.
When contacted, Simplex Infrastructures’ commercial in charge Swapan Kumar Sarker said that Orion was yet to pay all its outstanding bills.
‘Until the bills are paid we will not leave,’ he added. 

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