Mayor Khokon at spot after protest foils chemical warehouse drive

After a mobile court was forced to stop its drive against chemical warehouse by local businessmen, Dhaka South City Corporation (DSCC) Mayor Sayeed Khokon visited Bakshibazar in old town this afternoon.

Some misconceptions spread among the locals and businessmen here, the mayor said adding, “Our drive is only against chemical godowns and illegal warehouses. No other industries or households will be affected.”

The DSCC mayor was talking to reporters after he reached the spot around 2:20pm.

He also assured to sit with the small traders of Bakshibazar to listen about their problems.    

The drive against the chemical warehouses restarted after the intervention from the mayor.

The local businessmen are seen protesting against the mobile court drive in Chawkbazar area of the old part of Dhaka on March 2, 2019. Photo: Star/ Palash Khan

Earlier around 12:30pm, a team of mobile court was forced to leave the area after local businessmen protested on the second day of the month-long crackdown on chemical warehouses and factories in Old Dhaka.

After the protest, the mobile court team led by Chief Health Officer of DSCC Brig Gen Sharif Ahmed left the spot and said they would discuss the matter with the DSCC mayor before taking any further steps.

The decision of the drive against chemical godowns at Old Dhaka was taken at a stakeholders' meeting with DSCC Mayor Sayeed Khokon in the chair on February 12 following the Chawkbazar fire incident that claimed lives of 71 people so far.

After hearing the news, the DSCC mayor reiterated the government’s firm stance on the relocation of chemical warehouses and said he himself would visit the spot.

"I will go there and the chemical warehouses will be removed. The authorities will not back down even a bit," the DSCC Mayor said at a briefing.