Sugandha Beach at Sugandha Point in Cox’s Bazar has been freed from encroachment after two decades, after traders dismantled their own shops and removed goods following a warning from the administration.
Around more than 500 structures have been removed from the beach as a result.
Officials from the district administration said the sand dunes of Sugandha Beach have become free from encroachment after nearly 20 years. However, the affected traders have demanded quick rehabilitation.
According to district administration sources, authorities set a deadline until 10am on Sunday to remove the structures built on the sand dunes at Sugandha Point.
Around 2pm, members of the district administration, the army, Rapid Action Battalion (RAB), police and Ansar arrived at the spot and began giving instructions through miking. After that, traders started voluntarily removing their shops and structures.
Mohammad Sohel, a trader at Sugandha Point, said: “Now we have to remove our shops. The month of Ramadan is going on, Eid is ahead, but only Allah knows what our future will be. I do not know what answer I will give to my children. As the shop was almost closed for the last one month, sales have been very low, so I still could not buy Eid clothes for them.”
Shell seller Shahidul Islam said: “Respecting the administration’s decision, we removed the shops ourselves. But the pain remains. Hoping for good business ahead of Eid, many took loans and invested in the shops. Now, due to the sudden eviction, we are facing losses of around Tk500,000 to Tk600,000.”
Executive Magistrate (Tourism Cell) of the district administration Manju Bin Afnan said: “The traders removed the shops from the area on their own responsibility. As the number of shops and goods was large, they asked for some extra time in the morning. Within that time, they removed the shops.”
Regarding rehabilitation, he said: “The final decision on this will be taken by the higher authorities. The traders can inform the authorities of their complaints or demands, and those will be considered before taking the necessary decision.”
Following a directive from the home minister, the district administration has removed around 630 structures from different points of Cox’s Bazar beach over the last three days.
