Land grabbing makes the poor landless

This was revealed in a survey conducted by a local NGO.

The influentials, by resorting to 'fake deeds and tricks' have driven many poor peasants from their native shoals over the years. They are now destitute.

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The NGO -- Samaj Kallan Sangstha (SKS)-- recently conducted a survey on 300 people who have taken shelter on the Brahmaputra flood cControl embankment along the western bank of Jamuna in Shaghata and Fulchari upazilas. About 25 per cent of them were dispossessed of their lands by local influents, 45 percent became landless due to erosion by the river. The rest 30 became landless due to fragmentation of holdings, the survey said.

As per law landowners who become landless due to erosion should own newly emerged lands in the river in his area. But once lands emerge, local influentials grab the lands by any means, the survey said.

Fulchari upazila comprised seven unions earlier. Of those, Fazlupur, Arendabari and Fulchari Sadar unions and a major part of Gajaria union were devoured by the river over the years. But when lands emerged in the river, those were grabbed by local influentials, making the original landowners landless. About 80,000 in the areas are now fighting land grabbers, the survey said.

The land grabber first prepare fake deeds in connivance with a section of dishonest land administration employees and then capture newly emerged lands of poor and marginal farmers with the help of muscle power. Poor landowners can not go to court for legal help and ultimately turn landless.

This correspondent also talked to some of the victims in remote Khanchapara shoal in Fulcharii union who were allegedly evicted from their lands by musclemen of influentials.

"I inherited one and a half bigha land from my father in Char Pepulia. It disappeared into the river. But when the land emerged some influential people grabbed it", said Abdul Kader. He now stays in Khanchapara flood shelter.

Abdur Razzak said he possessed two bighas of land in Char Pepulia few years back. He also became landless in the same way.

It is difficult to take back the grabbed lands from the influen-tials, said Rasel Ahmed Liton, an official of the NGO.

We are trying to create awareness among the people to fight grabbers, he added.