More than 12,000 families living in slums on both sides of the railway line from Mohakhali to Kamalapur have been evicted to make way for the construction of the Metrorail and Elevated Expressway in Dhaka, Bangladesh’s capital. Since the eviction, a large number of slum dwellers have been living in a shaky and crowded environment near the railway. Their rehabilitation had no long-term solution. Although the initiative was taken several times, it has yet to see the light of day. They live dangerously close to the railway line. These slum dwellers are challenged basic human rights such as health, education, clean water and toilet facilities. They have now become an integral part of city life. Many of these slum dwellers’ children become involved in various crimes at a young age as a result of the unhealthy environment and lack of education. Earthen stoves are dependable for cooking as there is no gas connection.
“We’ve been living here for 39 years,” Tapas Das said in Dhaka’s Kamalapur Railway Colony slum. We were previously at the Fulbaria station. However, there is nothing to say about civic benefits here. Yes we live in a city, but we do not have a gas connection in this colony. They are now attempting to evict us as well. We are unable to enroll our children in any good educational institution. The Prime Minister has promised to house the homeless, but no accommodations have been provided for us. We are landless.” he added.
According to the last slum census in 2014, the number of slums in Dhaka, where 35% of the total population lives in slums, increased from 2,156 in 1991 to 3,394.