Lagos begins removal of shanties on Blue Line railway corridor

Lagos begins removal of shanties on Blue Line railway corridor

The Lagos State Government has commenced the removal of shanties on the setback and rights of way of the Lagos Blue Line railway corridor.

Commissioner for the Environment and Water Resources in the state, Tokunbo Wahab, on Sunday, supervised the removal of the shanties from Orile to Iyana Iba and asked those staying in the illegal structures to immediately relocate.

The commissioner said there was a need to ensure a complete restoration of the right of way.

He was accompanied by the Permanent Secretary, Office of Environmental Services, Dr. Gaji Omobolaji and his counterpart in the Office of Drainage Services, Lekan Shodeinde, General Manager of LASPARK, Toun Popoola and Chairman of the Special Intervention Team for the restoration of the Blue Line Right of Way, ACP Bayo Sulaiman at Orile.

He said in addition to the Blue Line Rail right of way, the Lagos Badagry Expressway is an international highway whose setback must be restored and observed.

Wahab also said the enforcement had become imperative followingthe expiration of the one-month notice given by Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu to all street traders, squatters and occupiers of shanties and abandoned vehicles presently on the stretch of Lagos-Badagry Expressway from Orile up to Iyana-Iba.

The commissioner decried the illegal settlement at Agboju where squatters have built up shanties and have occupied government setbacks.

He said Lagos State Parks and Gardens Agency (LASPARK) would move in immediately after the squatters had been removed to commence work on the beautification and landscaping of the whole stretch, stressing that the right of way for the Lagos Badagry Expressway stands between 90 and 120 meters.

Wahab advised some occupiers of sheds and settlements under the bridge before Abule Oshun to relocate immediately as the enforcement.

He urged all commercial vehicle operators on the corridor to maintain their designated parks, saying henceforth any vehicle seen picking up or dropping passengers at undesignated bus stops along the road would be towed away and the owners prosecuted.

He also urged  traders at Afolabi Ege Market, Iyana Iba to relocate within seven days as they are the cause of the man-made traffic bottlenecks along the axis.

Wahab also warned residents against creating illegal dumpsites with particular reference to one noticed at the Eric Moore end of Surulere, saying that the government was determined to find a lasting solution to illegal dumpsites and directed the Lagos State Waste Management Authority to evacuate the black spot within 24 hours.