An excavator removes sand stocked in the River Turag during a mobile court drive on Thursday to reclaim the river from encroachers in line with a High Court order. — Indrajit Ghosh

The authorities on Thursday demolished illegal structures and sand-stocks in the River Turag in an hour-long drive at Sinnirtek in the capital’s Mirpur Beribandh area to implement a High Court order.
Md Selim Hossen, executive magistrate of the Dhaka district administration, led the drive and auctioned sand kept illegally on nearly two acres of land in the river.
The magistrate also put up for auction iron pipe and bamboos used for sand lifting in a spot bidding.
The magistrate asked the bid winners to remove the auctioned sand within 72 hours on their own cost.
Selim told New Age that they were implementing the HC order issued in December, 2012.
The HC had asked 14 officials and agencies concerned to protect the banks of the river near the Sinnirtek area and a portion of the River Sitalakhya in Narayanganj from encroachment and pollution by evicting all illegal establishments on the banks.
The authorities on Thursday launched the three-day drive to implement the order after the HC’s stipulated deadline was over. 
The Bangladesh Inland Water Transport Authority and police assisted the drive.
Local sources, however, said this was the third time when the authorities were conducting the drive since 2010.
A number of illegal sand traders said they were running the sand businesses under the blessing of police and local political quarters.
The magistrate, Selim, said none of the illegal sand lifters claimed the sand, so the authorities put them up for auction.
But sources told New Age that local sand trader and lifters — Sumon, Ambar Ali, Haji Bashar, Mohammad Masum, Mohammad Ripon and Nasiruddin Pintu — took part in the bidding.
Officials said 11 illegal structures in the area would be removed in further drives that were yet to be scheduled.
In June 2009, the High Court had ordered the Bangladesh Inland Water Transport Authority to protect the four rivers from encroachment and pollution by evicting all illegal establishments dotting their banks.