Jamtola Road in Dhaka's Tanpara Finally Freed from Encroachment

Jamtola Road in Tanpara Finally Freed from Encroachment

Dhaka: Tanpara Jamtola Road, a vital thoroughfare in the Tanpara area, has finally been successfully freed from years of illegal occupation.

Following a joint initiative by local residents and the Khilkhet Tanpara Welfare Society, no street vendors or illegal shops were permitted to set up business on the road starting from Thursday morning. Local residents, who have long suffered due to the persistent encroachment, are now breathing a sigh of relief.

Local inhabitants reported that for many years, mobile vendors and temporary shopkeepers had been occupying a significant portion of both sides of Jamtola Road. This severely hampered the movement of pedestrians, school students, and even rickshaws and motorcycles. During the rainy season, this encroachment compounded the problem, causing waterlogging and virtually paralyzing traffic movement.

Despite multiple verbal requests from the community, the vendors and shopkeepers consistently refused to vacate the area. This led to a progressively tense and complex situation. Residents noted that the issue had remained stagnant for a long time due to a lack of administrative intervention.

Seeing the situation worsen, local residents and the Khilkhet Tanpara Welfare Society formed a special committee on Wednesday.

Jahid Ikbal, the convener of the Welfare Society and the leader of the committee, stated, "We collectively decided to clear the road in the interest of the community. A road is for the public, not for any individual's business. Therefore, a 24-hour ultimatum was issued, declaring that Jamtola Road would be completely free of all encroachment starting from Thursday morning."

Following the expiry of the ultimatum, local residents actively mobilized this morning. Vendors were not allowed to set up anywhere in the area stretching from the end of Jamtola Road to Bottola. Illegally set up stalls, wooden tables, and plastic structures were all removed.

A palpable atmosphere of relief and excitement has swept across the area after the successful operation. 

Jamtola Road has become wide and navigable again after a long time. Pedestrians can now move about without any obstruction.

Local resident a m ayub pappu expressed her joy, saying, "We couldn't even walk freely on this road daily. Today, it truly feels like this road belongs to the people again."