'Lease khas lands to the landless as per ministry order'

Leaders of Debhata-Kaligonj Bhumihin Sangram Committee addressing a press conference in Satkhira town on Thursday. PHOTO: STAR

Pran Ballav Mondal, general secretary of the committee, in a written statement at the press conference claimed that the land ministry in a letter to the Satkhira Deputy Commissioner on June 22 asked the administration to take steps in this regard. But nothing is being done, he alleged.

The land ministry letter followed a joint appeal to the Prime Minister made on June 16 by the landless families for her intervention for lease of the lands in their favour.

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He said about 1000 landless families are living on the lands for years. But over the years, land grabbers got the lands leased in their favour in connivance with a section of corrupt officials.

These lands were leased to the vested quarters for shrimp cultivation by showing those as 'special waterbodies', he claimed. But those are actually agricultural khas lands, he said.

Clashes may erupt any moment if the administration does not take prompt steps to lease the lands in favour of the landless, he said.

Mondol said fierce clashes took place in the past between land grabbers and the landless people who are in possession of the lands in different areas. The clashes took place as hired goons clashed with the landless people to take possession of the lands, he told the press conference, held at the office of Uttaran, a local NGO.

A woman --Zaheda Khatun-- was shot dead and over 200 people were injured as land grabbers attacked the landless people with fire arms in presence of law enforcers in 1998.

The then prime minister Sheikh Hasina and then leader of the Opposition Khaleda Zia had visited the area after the clash and assured lease of khas lands to landlerss people, he mentioned. But nothing was done.

He also put forward a five-point demand, which include identification of the so-called 'special waterbodies' as khas lands, withdrawal of the "false" cases against some of the landless people.

Among others, Abdul Wahab Sarder, president of the committee, Abdul Bari, Shawkat Ali and Maizuddin were present at the press conference.