Dhaka city authorities free pavements of Australian High Commission structures

The DNCC conducted a drive to clear the structures on Friday after the high commission failed to carry out its promise to remove the structures itself.

The city corporation waited for more than two weeks after a previous drive in which 33 concrete blocks were removed from the pavements around the high commission in Gulshan on Apr 26.

The high commission had said on that day it would remove the other barriers by May 7.

In the drive on Friday, the DNCC used bulldozers and oxy-fuel cutting machines to raze down the barriers after city corporation workers cut those loose from the base. The removed materials were later carried away on pick-up vans.

Visiting the site in the afternoon, Dhaka North Mayor Annisul Huq told the media: “The foreigners had grabbed our walkways for a long time. Eviction drives were conducted in some embassies earlier. Today we’ve freed the pavements around the Australian High Commission.”

He said the illegal barriers, which included plant tubs and blocks, put up by the embassies were removed after discussions.

“Efforts (to free the pavements) are at the final stage after six months,” he added.

Following a High Court order, the DNCC sent a letter to the Australian High Commission and seven other embassies on Feb 28 asking them to remove concrete planters and other barriers on the pavements in Gulshan.

The US Embassy and Canadian High Commission removed the structures from the walkways.

Concrete planters and blocks were also removed gradually from the pavements in front of the Embassies of Italy, Russia and Saudi Arabia, and the High Commission of Pakistan.