Railway slum dweller in fear of eviction

Senior Staff Reporter, Rangpur :
There are railways slums in every district and upazila of Bangladesh, thousands of families are living in the railway slums of Rangpur all over the country. As a result of the demarcation of railway sections in railway slums, they are now living in chains of prisons instead of being in jails and each of them has to spend their days in fear of eviction. Among them are Urdu speaking families from different parts of the country including Rangpur. Among them, more than 3000 people including children are living in the East/West slums of Rangpur Rail Basti including more than 500 Urdu speaking families. They are living right but day/night tension works between them when the railway authorities are evicting them. If they are evicted, where will they go and what will they do, they don’t see any option except under the tree with their children. Although the Honorable Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina of the Government of Bangladesh has repeatedly said that no family will be evicted without providing a place to live, still who is spreading so much fear? Meanwhile, the railway authorities repeatedly say that we do not know anything about the eviction. we have not received any notice.
 poepl living in the area of Railway Basti said that we spend day and night in fear of eviction, if SPGRC leader and councilor Harun had not helped us, we might have had to live on the streets today. We are still able to live in the slums because he is in touch with the concerned administration including the Prime Minister.
Our only demand is that we want housing to live.
Johnny, in charge of Railway Slum said, we have around three thousand people living here including children, some dishonest people of Railways are always terrorizing us with the fear of eviction, due to which we are worried. If we are evicted, where will so many people go? Urgent appeal to the concerned administration including Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina to evict us with habitable facilities.
On September 23, at the central conference of SPGRC and the memorial meeting of the late leader of Urdu speakers Nasim Khan, former LGED minister and presidium member of Bangladesh Awami League Central Committee Ed. Jahangir Kabir Nanak came to Rangpur as the chief guest and while visiting Rail Basti said that I have spoken to the Prime Minister before and will say it again so that not a single person is evicted without providing a place to live. I am telling you that there will be no eviction without providing habitable facilities.
SPGRC Central General Secretary and Rasik 27 Ward Councilor Harun Or Rashid said that the railway slum dwellers of Rangpur are living in the jail instead of being in the jail. No one will be evicted without providing residential facilities where honorable Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has instructed. Still, why is there so much fear, where will so many people go if they are evicted? Therefore, I request the intervention of the relevant administration including the Prime Minister, so that residential facilities are built.