Home Minister Salahuddin Ahmed on Sunday said that Jungle Salimpur would no longer remain a sanctuary for criminals.

The minister also warned of launching stringent drives against violence-mongers adding that “…the government has no plan to evict any general inhabitants from the area.”

”We will root out terrorism from this area through a coordinated and strategic operation. Besides, operations will be carried out in the Betua and Tea Garden regions too to free the entire areas from terrorist groups,” Salahuddin said.

The Home Minister made the remarks while briefing a press during his visit to Jungle Salimpur in the afternoon.
Jungle Salimpur, a hard to access hilly area under Sitakunda upazila of the district besides Dhaka-Chattogram Highway with hundreds of illegally built slums and half-concrete houses, has turned into a criminals’ den for more than one and half a decade.

A RAB officer was killed in the last year and a number of law enforcers were injured as the armed criminals attacked them while conducting drives at different times to bring the areas under administrative control by freeing it from the dominancy of anti-social elements.

The minister announced that the government had plans to establish a new prison in the Jungle Salimpur region of Sitakunda upazila in Chattogram. He said that a vested interest quarter has been spreading rumors on eviction of general inhabitants of the area to provoke them.

“The government has no plan to evict the inhabitants of the area who were compelled to live in the area for a time due to various circumstances. Rather, the government is actively considering  to rehabilitate them under a comprehensive plan”, he added.
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Later, Salahuddin Ahmad held a meeting with senior officials from district and divisional administration, law enforcement agencies at Chattogram Circuit House Conference Room. State Minister for Land and CHT Affairs Barrister Mir Md Helaluddin, Ctg City Mayor Dr. Shahadat Hossain, law makers of different constituencies attended the meeting.