Online Desk: Traders in Karwan Bazar today drove away Dhaka North City Corporation (DNCC) officials who were conducting an operation to seal shops in a building that is deemed to be at risk of collapse.

Traders gathered shouting protests soon after the DNCC team arrived at the market to begin its operation around 11:30am. The DNCC representatives had to halt their operations and leave the building around 12:00 noon as the situation had gotten out of hand.

Mutakabbir Ahmed, executive officer of zone-5 under DNCC, told The Daily Star that the building was declared hazardous by BUET in 2010 and Divisional Commissioner in 2019. With 176 shops operating under precarious conditions, the risk of the building collapsing is alarmingly high, he said.

“A market in Jatrabari area is currently at its final construction stage and is intended for relocation of the traders,” he said, adding that the traders refused to leave the current location. “Traders have been given several notices in this regard. They have also been given two weeks’ time to evacuate the risky market,” he added.

Meanwhile, traders said they won’t leave the market unless they are assured full resettlement with shop allocation.