Court declaration in favor of slum dwellers

The eviction of thousands of slum dwellers of Korail slum in the recent past has been one of the most controversial acts of eviction in the Dhaka City. Several humanitarian and development organisations, along with BRAC, stood their ground against this coldhearted act, which, despite being legal and seemingly the ‘right thing’ from the authority’s view point, was utterly inhumane. Following the incident, the court had commanded RAJUK and BTCL to demarcate the Gulshan lake area by June 5 2012, and to cease any sort of evicting process without further notice.

At the court proceedings on June 5 2012, it was declared that RAJUK, together with BTCL and BELA had carried out the demarcation process of the Gulshan lake area, and have admitted their findings that the Korail slum is out of the demarcated area of the lake.

The court also directed the Authorities to take necessary steps to stop the earth filling taking place in four specific spots on Gulshan lake (including behind the Gausul Azam mosque which has been leased to motor garages, and also ordered that no further eviction is to take place of slum dwellers who are living within the designated protected areas of Korail (as per judgment of 1999). The Court further directed that RAJUK and BTCL are to inform and require the presence of ASK, BLAST and BELA at the time of eviction of the other illegal structures.

These steps taken by the Court are going to be quite supportive for the slum dwellers who have been living under the threat of losing their homes and other belongings since the partial eviction last occurred, and are also going to be a strong platform in protecting their rights. “These are positive steps in protecting the rights of Korail bosti inhabitants. Although we have still a long way to go to ensure their tenurial security, these Directions are definitely an added protection to their right to shelter and livelihood. We are now trying to see if we can push the matter further and seek orders on compensation for the affected slum dwellers to be paid by RAJUK and BTCL for wrongful eviction based on faulty demarcation”, says Faustina Pereira, Director of the Human Rights and Legal Services programme, BRAC.

The slum, located near BRAC HQ, happens to be one of the largest slums in Dhaka, providing shelter to a huge chunk of the floating population residing at the capital in search of food, work, and shelter. The eviction, which came without any prior notice, left hundreds of families homeless, and thousands of people to sleep under theopen sky. Two of the families lost their youngest child when their dwelling places were being crushed by the bulldozers.

By Jannat Trina
Intern, BRAC Communications