AL leaders seek land on Turag to build FF rehabilitation centre

A group of people who hold positions at different front organisations of the ruling party, Bangladesh Awami League, have illegally occupied a portion of Turag and its flood flow zone to install a rehabilitation centre for destitute people and freedom fighters.Muktijoddha Palli Punarbashan Prakalpa, owned by leaders of Bangladesh Tanti League and Juba League, installed a tin-shed project office and two rooms 300 yards into the riverbed, from the town protection embankment road near Birulia Bridge in Birulia in Dhaka.The owners of the project said they applied for permanent lease of six acres and 62 decimal land from the deputy commissioner of Dhaka on Sunday to rehabilitate 100 destitute freedom fighters and extremely poor families.‘Land minister Shamsur Rahman Sherif, disaster management minister Mofazzal Hossain Chowdhury and lawmaker Habibur Rahman of Demra also provided recommendations in our  favour to get the lease,’ said general secretary of the project Maqbul Hossain, who is also vice president of Bangladesh Tanti League.Regularity authorities and green activists, meanwhile, said ruling party men, employing their clout, occupied the river and its flood flow zone through the deception of using freedom fighters as a signpost.They further said the encroachers were violating several laws such as wetland protection act and detailed area plan of the capital as well as ignoring several High Court verdicts on such cases.Visiting the site, New Age found two large photographs, one of the founding president of the country, Sheikh Mujibur Rahman and another of prime minister, Sheikh Hasina, hanging from the two sides of the entrance to the project office.

Two small tin-shed rooms were found adjacent to the project office. Claiming to be the caretaker of the project, Khandokar Harun, also a member of the project implementation committee, said many freedom fighters and several leaders of Tanti League and Juba League were members of the project.On the west of the project area, local Juba League men also installed tin-shed rooms adjacent to the Birulia Bridge.The general secretary of the project Maqbul agreed that they initiated the project on khas land but ‘not on the river’. ‘The demarcation pillar of the river is far away from the project site,’ he said.‘We are using land of water development board for installing the approach road and hope that the board will take us into consideration while implementing the project,’ Maqbul said.‘The disaster management minster will help us,’ Maqbul said, adding that they would also ask for funds from the prime minister.‘At present, Belayet Hossain, president of Bangladesh Automobiles Owners Association, is advisor to the project and providing us with financial support,’ Maqbul said.Disaster management minister Mofazzal Hossain Chowdhury said ‘Providing a recommendation letter does not mean I suggested its implementation. We give recommendation letters to whoever asks for one. But concerned agencies will take a decision following the law,’ Mofazzal said.

Land minister Shamsur Rahman Sherif said he did not recommend anybody in this connection.Habibur Rahman Mollah said, ‘I never refuse anybody a recommendation.’
Belayet Hossain, however, refused to talk.Green activist Iqbal Habib termed the project a ‘sort of deception’ in its use of the name of freedom fighters to encroach the river. ‘Irrespective of who is behind the project, it will violate the detailed area plan of the capital and several HC verdicts. Rajuk should take stern action,’ Habib said.‘When the prime minister recently ordered the protection of wetland at any cost, how come some ruling party men dare to go against such clear instructions by the PM?’ Habib added. Bangladesh Paribesh Andolan joint secretary and a member of national taskforce for safeguarding rivers Sharif Jamil said the proposed project area belongs to the Turag and its flood flow zone. ‘It must be evicted and the misplaced pillars in the area should be placed following the HC direction.’Rajdhani Unyayan Kartripakkhya’s chairman GM Jainal Abedin Bhuiya said, ‘we have seen corrupt people encroach government land using the name of mosques, mazars and freedom fighters. We will take action for violation of the detailed area plan.’
Deputy commissioner of Dhaka M Tofazzel Hossain said, ‘there is no scope of giving such lease in Dhaka. The applicants did not even follow proper procedure. So no question arises of giving them lease of a land belonging to the Water Development Board.’MD Abdullah Matin Sarkar, Bangladesh Water Development Board’s executive engineer of Dhaka Operation and Maintenance Division said they would evict the encroachers soon. ‘We have requested the deputy commissioner to provide us magistrates to evict them,’ Sarkar said.

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