Elevated Expressway
Land acquisition protested
The people of Kuril, Kuratoli, Jowarshahara and Khikhet staged a demonstration in front of the Dhaka deputy commissioner's office in the city yesterday protesting acquisition of land in their area to construct elevated expressway.
Speakers at the human chain programme said the government is constructing the Dhaka Elevated Expressway acquiring their land changing the main plan though there is government land beside the rail line.
They also submitted a memorandum to District Commissioner Zillur Rahman Chowdhury. Additional District Commissioner (Revenue) Zonendronath Sarkar received the memorandum on behalf of the DC.
The government on January 19 signed a deal with Ital-Thai Development Company Ltd to construct the 26-km long four lane expressway from Shahjalal International Airport to Kutubkhali on the Dhaka-Chittagong Highway.
"We have already given land seven times to the government to implement different projects, including Nikunja and 300-foot wide road and we do not want to give our last property to the government," said Omar Ali, convener of Bhumi Rokkhya committee.
He said around 300 families will be affected severely due to change in plan to construct the expressway.
He said they did not get any rehabilitation benefit after land acquisition in the past.
Kazi Hedayet, a member of the committee, said there is 80 feet government land from Khilkhet Railway market to rail line, 21 feet rail line, 30 feet government land in the west side of the rail line and 110 feet land beside the Nikunja lake and footpath of VIP road. Apart from it there is also 400 feet government land at the curb of elevated expressway.
These lands can be used to construct the expressway instead of their land, he said.
"Our family lost 14 bighas of land due to land acquisition to construct cantonment station and DOHS Baridhara, nine bighas of land to construct Shahjalal International Airport, 14.50 bighas of land for Nikunja-1 and now our last four bighas of land have also come under the process of acquisition," said Ahsan Habib Khan, a resident of Jowarshahara.
The price for the land which the government has fixed is only 10 percent compared to the real market price, they said.
"We will kill ourselves if the government does not shift the plan from our land," Hedayet said.
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