Illegal structures on rly land demolished in Lalmonirhat

Around 50 illegal structures on railway land at Mogholhat Railway gate, BDR gate and Station Road in Lalmonirhat town were demolished yesterday noon.

The railway authorities launched the drive to remove the illegal structures in different areas under Lalmonirhat Railway Division.

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Mohammad Ohidunnabi, divisional estate officer, said the drive for demolishing illegal structures on railway land in Lalmonirhat, Kurigram, Rangpur, Gaibandha, Bogra, Dinajpur, Panchagarh and Thakurgaon under the Lalmonirhat Railway Division would be continued.

"We will demolish all kind of structures built illegally on railway land," he added.

These structures had been demolished four times in the last three years, but were rebuilt only three or four days later, railway sources said.

The owners of the illegal structures alleged that the railway authorities removed the structures on the footpaths only and never conducted drives for demolishing illegal structures on railway land.

Some unscrupulous railway officials get regular bribe from the owners of illegal structures but they don't get any money from the owners of structures on footpaths, that is why such structures are demolished, they claimed.

Arshad Hossain, a fruit trader and owner of a shop on the footpath on railway land at Mogholhat Rail Gate, said "I tried to get lease for a portion of railway land but in vain."

Mafiz Miah, a tea stall owner on railway land at BDR Gate in the town, said there are many illegal structures on railway land in the town, but those are never demolished. "Our footpath shops are demolished," he said, adding that they re-build their shops on railway land again as they have no alternative.

Hafizur Rahman, head assistant of Railway Divisional Estate Office (DEO) under Lalmonirhat Railway division of West Zone Railway, said they can't lease the railway land beside the railway track. The illegal structures beside the railway track in different areas were demolished by the authorities, he added.