CHATTOGRAM: The district administration began an eviction drive at the risky hills to avert recurrence of landslides in the port city on Sunday. 

A total of 180 illegal structures were demolished at the risky hills in Purba Firoz Shah Jhilparr area on the first day of the drive.

Chattogram district NDC Md Towhidul Islam said the drive is being conducted to demolish the structures built illegally on the risky hill slopes.

The utility connections of the risky areas will also be disconnected to discourage further settlement, he said.

An announcement was made, asking the people to move to safer places from the risky areas, he said.

Chattogram Deputy Commissioner (DC) Md Mominur Rahman also visited the spot in the afternoon.

Talking to the journalists, he said they will encircle the recovered area with barbed-wire and trees will be planted there to protect them from the encroachment again.

The CCC and the railway authorities were asked to demolish the risky structures developed on their hilly lands, encircle the recovered area with barbed-wires and plant tree there to avert recurrence of the landslides, said the DC, adding that the drive will continue.

Mentionable, four people were killed and two others injured in separate incidents of landslides in Barisalghona area of Jhilparr and Bijayanagar Lake City area under Akbar Shah police station in the city on Saturday.   In the absence of permanent measures, thousands of people are still living on vulnerable hill slopes in the port city and its suburbs, risking their lives. 

Politically influential people build houses on risky hill slopes and rent them to the low-income people. On the other hand, torrential rain caused waterlogging in some low-lying areas of the city in the afternoon. 

Commuters suffered much due to transport crisis and tailback in some areas at that time, said sources.