CHATTOGRAM, June 29: Government has begun developing reclaimed khas land in crime-prone Jungle Salimpur on the outskirts of port city Chattogram aiming to transform this troubled hilly zone into a peaceful human habitat, officials said.
"The development work on the reclaimed government Khas land at Jungle Salimpur, one of Chattogram's most crime-prone areas, is progressing in full swing," Chattogram Deputy Commissioner (DC) Jahidul Islam Mia told the Daily Observer.
As part of the initiative, Army has launched a major infrastructure and security programme in the remote zone Jungle Salimpur in Sitakunda upazila to establish government control and improve communications.
The ongoing work includes the construction of four strategic roads, which officials hope will transform the area's communication network and overall layout within the next six to seven months.
DC Jahidul Islam Mia, also head of 29-member Jungle Salimpur Development Coordination Committee, said he is actively supervising land settlement and planned developments.
34 Engineer Construction Brigade of the Bangladesh Army is constructing about 10 kilometres of roads.
According to DC, the reclaimed Khas land has been earmarked for several public projects, including a proposed Chattogram Central Jail, a Sports Village and an Eco Park.
The first phase of the project includes construction of a road from the Chhinnamul area to Alinagar High School, another linking Alinagar through the Textile area with the Dhaka-Chattogram Highway, a road connecting Alinagar with the Chattogram-Khagrachhari Highway via the Bangladesh Military Academy area, and another route to improve internal communication within Jungle Salimpur.
Local Government Engineering Department (LGED) is preparing the detailed project plan and cost estimate.
Army is carrying out the work with security support from the police, Rapid Action Battalion (RAB), Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) and other law enforcement agencies.
Jungle Salimpur, a roughly 3,100-acre hilly area in Sitakunda, has long been regarded by law enforcement as a difficult-to-police area, allegedly controlled by armed groups, including the Yasin Bahini. Because of its rugged terrain and numerous illegal settlements, officials say police, RAB and district administration personnel have frequently come under attack while conducting operations there.
The government is also planning to establish permanent camps for law enforcement agencies and two police academies to strengthen security in the area.
Officials are preparing a list of illegal occupiers and encroachers. Authorities, however, have said that genuine long-term settlers will not be evicted and will instead be included in rehabilitation programmes.
Jungle Salimpur is located on government khas land north of the Link Road, opposite the Asian University for Women, and about two kilometres west of Bayezid Bostami in Chattogram.
Officials said attempts to implement 11 government projects in the area, including a prison and an IT park, had previously been obstructed by alleged land grabbers.
According to local residents, hill cutting, settlement expansion and occupation of government land in Jungle Salimpur began during the 1990s. Several reports have alleged that an informal land market later developed in the area, with government land being sold at nominal prices using non-judicial stamp papers under the name of the Chhinnamul Samabay Samiti.
According to previous reports, Ali Akkas, who allegedly established one of the first settlements on occupied hilly land, was later killed in what law enforcement described as a gunfight with RAB following disputes over money and influence.
The deputy commissioner said Jungle Salimpur is now under full government control and that the coordination committee has already started work on implementing the development plan. Permanent RAB and police camps will also be established to maintain law and order.
Spanning approximately 3,100 acres, Jungle Salimpur has gained notoriety over the past four decades for land grabbing, hill cutting, drug trafficking and illegal plot trading by armed criminal groups.
Earlier, Home Adviser Lt Gen (Retd) Jahangir Alam Chowdhury said Jungle Salimpur would no longer remain a sanctuary for criminal groups.
The Department of Environment has issued 11 recommendations to curb hill cutting, including eviction drives, disconnection of utility services to illegal hill settlements, amendments to land classification rules and identification of government khas land on hills.
According to various government agencies, at least 75 people, including a RAB officer, have been killed in Jungle Salimpur over the years.
