Slum Dwellers
Slum dwellers are those who live outside roads and railway tracks in badly built houses in a city. Slum dwellers are seen in most of the cities of Bangladesh. During the last few years, the percentage of slum dwellers in the capital has gone up to about 25 from 12. The numbers of the slum dwellers are increasing day by day in large scales. None can challenge them for living by the sides of roads and railway tracks. They are polluting the environment by throwing human wastages here and there and engaging themselves in anti-social activities. These slums are suitable places for miscreants, drugs and all kinds of criminal activities. Slum dwellers who occupy roadsides and footpaths earn their livelihood by selling various kinds of goods and pulling rickshaws. Nowadays they have started to take part in national politics. They are exploited for organizing hartals, picketing, road blocking, damaging vehicles, and public properties, etc. So, they become challenging for society. Besides, the atmosphere of the slums is unhealthy. They do not maintain family planning. Various kinds of diseases are the common features of the slums. It is very difficult to eradicate them once they settle in the slum areas having political umbrellas. Some slum dwellers have been enlisted as voters too. So a national consensus on this issue is very necessary to evict them. Otherwise, it would remain impossible always. However, the government has taken a project named “Ghore Fera” to rehabilitate them in villages. It is a good plan. All political parties, as well as the general citizens, should come forward to rehabilitate the slum dwellers properly in suitable places in order to build a healthy nation.