MEHERPUR, Oct 5: Illegal encroachment of the government's lands in the district by a vested quarter has been going on for a long time due to laxity of the authorities concerned.
A section of dishonest officials and some loopholes in law are mainly responsible for the lapses, it has been alleged.
During a recent visit to some rural and urban markets in Sadar, Gangni and Mujibnagar upazilas of the district, this correspondent found that the lands of the markets had been occupied illegally by some influential people since long.
While visiting Mominpur-Baradi weekly market under Sadar upazila, it was found that the market was running on 60 decimals of land in seven plots under Baradi Mouza, Khatian No 1, according to office sources.
As per official record, some local people allegedly grabbed nearly two acres of Baradi rural market land beside Meherpur-Chuadanga highway. They had constructed building there with no lawful permission, locals said.
According to sources, after abolishing the Zamindari system, a vast tract of land was acquired to set up an agricultural farm which is now Bangladesh Agricultural Development Corporation's farm at Baradi village, from where two acres of land beside highway are earmarked for the Baradi weekly market. During the time of land settlement, it was recorded in the State Acquisition Survey (SA Khatian) in favour of the government.
Pirojpur Union Land office is also situated on the land. A part-time office of the Chairman of Pirojpur Union Parishad (UP) and office-cum-residence of the then Block Supervisor now Deputy Assistant Director of Department of Agriculture Extension (DAE) were allegedly built on the land with no lawful authority. And no official from the DAE resides there.
Some unruly people constructed tin-sheds, grabbing the market land using the wall of temporary office of the UP. The present chairman of the UP evicted the illegal grabbers from there and reconstructed the same structures there and allotted them on monthly rental basis. Later, on the basis of allegation lodged by some people, the district administration removed the illegal structures.
Besides, tarnishing the front-view of the union land office, a semi-pucca building was constructed illegally there. But the authorities concerned did not bother to take any initiative against the grabbers for a long time, locals alleged.
It has been learnt that once the designated Land Assistant Officer (Tehsildar) along with surveyor, after measuring the land, laid demarcation pillars and sent a written report to concerned office in October 2003 with the recommendation of evicting illegal structures from there, but no action was taken till now.
As a result, the illegal occupiers are encouraged to grab more land, taking advantage of the situation.
Moreover, the grabbers in this way continue to feast on lands of the rivers Kazla and Bhairab, and water bodies like Patapuka, Chand Beel, Teroghoria, Royakoli etc.
All the stories of grabbing public properties are in the knowledge of the public custodian, people said with dejection.
While talking to The Daily Observer, many people of Baradi bazaar said, earlier Deputy Commissioner (DC) Delwar Hossain gave order to demolish the illegally extended shed of temporary Pirojpur UP office.
They urged the next DC Mahmud Hossain to implement the survey reports made in October 2003.
The DC told The Daily Observer that he has been trying to recover the grabbed public lands from the clutches of the grabbers since his joining here.
He also disclosed that about the Royakoli wetland under Mujibnagar upazila, more than hundred acres of land was recorded in Cadastral Survey (CS) record as Shayrat Mohal (water body); later it was decreased by nearly half in SA Khatian record while in Revisional Settlement Survey (RS Khatian) record, it revealed only four acres as khas land.Thus, the settlement of the water body was taken by some people as arable land, he claimed.
However, he lodged a civil suit for record rectification, the DC added.
Now the present Deputy Commissioner Parimal Singh said that he has already started to recover the public properties from the possession of the illegal grabbers. Meanwhile, he managed to take possession of some public lands from the claws of illegal grabbers.
