Allegations mount over leasing Khas ponds at Godagari

Land grabbers are playing ducks and drakes with around 3,500 khas ponds at Godagari upazila of Rajshahi in the name of taking lease or even without any lease.

Some influential people took the ponds lease allegedly with false papers, while some people grabbed with their muscle power without noticing the concerned authorities.

Among them, some are allegedly increasing their land areas by filling up the ponds. Some occupiers even didn’t pay the lease money over the years, alleged the concerned officials.

The district administration allegedly leased out the ponds through corruption and the Anti Corruption Commission (ACC) investigated the matter several times in vain, creating anger among the local people.

Earlier on March 7, a complaint was submitted to the upazila nirbahi officer (UNO) by Walid Ahmed, a local people, accusing local influential Fazlur Rahman of filling a leased 0.47-acre pond for increasing his land adjacent to the pond, through merging the raised pond area.

Fazlur Rahman allegedly filled the pond, actually leased for fish cultivation, cutting the soil of a public road, narrowing the road.

Denying the allegation, Fazlur Rahman said, “I had a land beside the pond, so I just filled the corners of the pond to protect my land from caving in,” he claimed.

People alleged that, among the 3,500 khas ponds, around 3 thousand ponds were taken lease by the Awami League, Juba League, Chhatra League, Shechchhwasebok League leaders using political influence. Most of them allegedly did not pay the lease money.

But Godagari UNO, Zahid Newaj, denied the allegation of any corruption over giving the ponds lease. “If there is any corruption, we will take action against them. A large amount of taxes have been deposited in the government treasurer after I came here,” he added.

AIMD