Opposition Chief Whip Mujibul Huq Chunnu on Wednesday urged the prime minister not to evict the harijans of old Dhaka before providing  them with alternative housing.

“I will ask the Leader of the House not to evict them on humanitarian grounds until alternative arrangements are made,” he said while speaking in Parliament on an unscheduled discussion.

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He mentioned that harijan community people have been living and serving in some areas of Dhaka city for decades.

Pointing to the eviction campaign in Mironjilla Colony near Aga Sadek Road of Banshal in Old Dhaka, Chunnu said, about 3000 harijan community people have been living here for many years.

“Dhaka South City Corporation wants to build market in the area where they live,” he said.

He mentioned that it is true that these people do not own the place though.

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“But they have been in this place of the City Corporation for ages, they have already demanded alternative arrangements before evicting them.”

He said that harijan children  lay on the streets when the eviction drive began yesterday. “For which evacuation was not possible,” he said.

Referring to the corruption case against former National Board of Revenue (NBR) Commissioner Wahida Rahman, Chunnu said that a tax commissioner waived Tk 170 crore of four mobile companies including Grameen Phone.

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“Where are the NBR chairman, finance secretary and finance minister? For the sake of the country, it should be looked at properly,” he said.