100 acre govt lands grabbed in a decade in Rangamati town
An illegally built slum on the compound of Rangamati Sadar Hospital is one of many encroachments in the tourist town.Photo: STAR
At least 100 acres of government land were gobbled up in Rangamati town in last 10 years. Most of the grabbing took place during BNP-Jamaat rule. Illegal structures including about 100 slums have sprang up on the grabbed lands including the banks of picturesque Rangamati Lake and other tourist spots. A section political leaders are behind setting up the slums, which serve them two purposes- rent from dwellers and vote in election, sources said. Land grabbing is increasing as grabbers are seldom punished, said settlement officer Sujan Chakma at district land settlement office. A survey is needed to find out the exact areas of grabbed lands, he said. One-third land of Rangamati General Hospital has been grabbed, where a slum has been set up. Talking tot his correspondent, doctors and other hospital staff said the area always remains polluted and dirty as the slum dwellers dump waste near the hospital. The panoramic beauty of Rangamati is being destroyed day by day as all open spaces are being grabbed and illegal structures built there. If steps are not taken now, it will soon lose its reputation as a tourist town and become a concrete jungle, some members of the elite said while talking to this correspondent. After declaration of emergency, different government department have sent applications to the district administration for steps for recovery of the grabbed lands. Sources in the Deputy Commissioner's office said they have received at least 23 applications for land recovery. According to AC office sources, the grabbed lands include 25 bighas of CHT development board, 12.50 acres of Bangladesh Cottage and Small Industries Corporation, 5.51 acres of road and highways department, 1.50 acres of the department of agriculture extension, 1.50 acres of south forest department, 2 acres and 5 decimals of deputy commissioner's (DC) office, one decimal of district Bazar Fund office, 3.50 acres of the department of public health and engineering, 1.50 acres of civil surgeon's office, 3 acres of Rangamati Sadar Hospital, 0.037 acres of Red Crescent Society, 1.50 acres of Sadar Upazila Nirbahi office, 3 decimals of New Rangamati Primary School, 5 decimals of BIWTA (Bangladesh Island Transport Authority), 2 acres of Public Works Department (PWD). The sources said land grabbing in the district town started during the rule of Awami League government. A feast on government land started as the BNP-Jamaat government came to power in 2001,, they said. Though land settlement is stopped in Chittagong Hill Tracts since 1989, many BNP leaders legalised their grabbed land through the district Bazaar Fund allegedly in exchanged of bribe, sources said. Arun Alo Chakma, executive engineer of Road & Highways Department said whenever we go to demolish illegal structures grabbers show documents given by the district Bazaar Fund office. So, we can not take action against grabbers, he said. Leaders of different political parties create slums on government lands for vote. Poor people from plain lands are settled there. There was no slum in Rangamati town a decade ago. Now slums are seen everywhere in the town, local people said. It is alleged that an influential Awami League leader in the town was behind creation of many slums on government lands during AL rule. Md. Shahjahan Majumder, administrative officer of civil surgeon office, said they informed the DC office and joint forcers in writing to recover the grabbed land of the office. DAE Project Officer Romoni Kanti Chakma said about 1.5 acres of its land were grabbed during BNP-Jamaat rule. About 70 families now live in the land grabbed by BNP leaders. Md. Unus Ali, divisional forest officer of CHT North Forest Department, said 25 decimal land was grabbed by district Jaamat leader and his followers in the name of expansion of a play ground of a school near the district forest office. A case was filed with court, he said. Sources at DC's office said only 6.243 acres of government land worth about Tk 3.5 crore have so far been recovered from grabbers. Fifteen cases have been settled and more 23 are yet to be disposed of by the civil court. Contacted, Rangamati Deputy Commissioner Md Nurul Amin said the process to recover the grabbed lands is on. Decisions on land recovery are taken at law and order committee meetings, he said. Rangamati Hill District Council Chairman Jagat Jyoti Chakma said many government lands were grabbed. Now is the time to recover the lands.
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