Allegations of irregularities in Lalmonirhat’s railway land revenue collection

Allegations of irregularities and corruption have been raised against Md Manzur Hossain, Divisional Estate Officer of Bangladesh Railway’s Lalmonirhat division, over the collection of revenue from railway land.

According to sources and affected shop owners, the official collected large amounts of cash from occupiers of railway land in the name of licence fees but deposited only a portion of the money into the government treasury, violating official rules that prohibit cash transactions.

Several shop owners from Hatibandha upazila alleged they paid between Tk 80,000 and Tk 1.25 lakh, while bank records show significantly lower amounts deposited through e-challans. They also claimed they were given unofficial licence papers without proper receipts.

Under the Bangladesh Railway Land Management Policy, 2020, commercial licences must be issued through proper procedures, including open tender and bank-based payments. However, complainants say these rules were not followed, causing financial loss to the government.

Divisional Estate Officer Md Manzur Hossain admitted to accepting cash but advised complainants to contact higher authorities.

Newly appointed Divisional Railway Manager Md Taslim Ahmed Khan said the matter would be investigated and action will be taken if irregularities are found.

Chief Estate Officer (West Zone) Md Nadim Sarwar said cash transactions are not allowed and assured that appropriate measures would be taken after investigation.

MS/AM