No step yet to re-settle 140 families living on hill slopes
35 acre govt lands grabbed in Khagrachhari by the settlers
A cluster of houses built by cutting hills in Sabujbagh area in Khagrachhari Sadar upazila.Photo: STAR
Khagrachhari Hill District Council (KHDC) is yet to take any initiative to re-settle the 140 families identified as vulnerable to landslides. They live on slopes of hills by building houses on grabbed government lands in at least 10 areas in Khagrachhari Sadar upazila. Khagrachhari District Administration and police jointly identified the families who have grabbed at least 35 acres of land. Some of the lands are in areas covered by the KHDC master plan for development work, sources said. The report was submitted to the KHDC last month. Most of the lands were allotted to the families by Khagrachhari Bazar Fund (BF), allegedly in exchange of money, according to the report jointly submitted by the district administration and special branch police, the sources said. The areas are Sabuzbug, Shalbagun, Rashider Gap, Harinathpara, ADC Hill, Garugari Tilla, Nenchi Bazar, Kadamtala, Islampur and Kalabagun. This correspondent visited some of the areas and talked to the land grabbers. They said they took allotment of lands from the Bazar Fund. But they failed to show any allotment document and said Bazar Fund authorities assured them that documents would be provided later, they said. The district administration and police in their report urged KHDC to rehabilitate the 140 families as they live in risky hill slopes, the sources said. Khagrachhari Police Superintendent Khandaker Lutful Kabir said the list was prepared last month after landslides killed many people in Chittagong “I think the authorities concerned will take proper action to re-settle them in safer places”, he said. At least 1,000 people will be saved if KHDC authorities take proper steps considering the plight of the poor people, he said. When contacted, an official of the district administration however said the administration wants to re-settle the vulnerable families in suitable places, he said. “An investigation is necessary to find how the Bazar Fund allotted the lands”, he said. The Bazar Fund is a body of KHDC. KHDC Chairman Monindra Lal Tripura, when asked, refuted the allegation of involvement of Bazar Fund in allowing the families build houses on grabbed government lands. “Action will be taken if the allegation is found correct”, he said.
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