Rly land under illegal occupation

Illegal commercial structures are being built on Lalmonirhat-Mogholhat abandoned railway track at Uttara Road in Lalmonirhat town, but the railway authorities are not taking any action against the grabbers.

Abdur Rahim, a trader at Uttara Road in the town, said he built his establishment on railway land at Lalmonirhat--Mogholhat abandoned route as he leased the land from the authorities concerned. "I give money regularly to the railway authorities concerned," he added.

Bhuttu Miah, another trader of the same area, said they did not grab railway land. Some businessmen constructed shops and other structures on railway land as they leased it from the railway authorities, he said, adding that all businessmen regularly pay money to them.

However, Hafizur Rahman, head assistant of railway divisional estate office (DEO) of Lalmonirhat Railway Division, said the estate office did not lease any land of Lalmonirhat- Mogholhat abandoned track. "We don't know how some people got lease for the land," he said, adding that estate officials visited the area and an eviction drive would be conducted soon.

Eight northern districts--Lalmonirhat, Kurigram, Rangpur, Gaibandha, Bogra, Dinajpur, Thakurgaon and Panchagarh--under Lalmonirhat Railway Division.

Officials of the DEO said there are a total of 11,296 acres of railway land under Lalmonirhat Railway Division of West Zone Railway, of which 397 acres lands have been sold by the railway authorities. Of the rest 10,899 acres, 5,753 acres are being used for railway operational work. Of the remaining 5,146 acres, 3442 acres have been leased as agricultural land, 31 acres as commercial land, 75 acres as fishery land and 2 acres as nursery land, while 1,596 acres are under illegal occupation.

Sources said, of the 5,753 acres for railway operational work, about 1,600 acres have been grabbed by influential in different areas under the division.

Mohammad Ohidunnabi, divisional estate officer of Lalmonirhat Railway Division, said railway authorities did not lease any land on Lalmonirhat-Mogholhat abandoned route to anybody, adding that he will conduct a drive to demolish all the illegal structures that have been built on railway land.

"We have been conducting regular drives to demolish illegal structures on railway land in eight northern districts under Lalmonirhat Railway Division," he said, adding that they have to face difficulties during the drive due to political musclemen in different areas. "I will also find out how some people got lease of railway land, and will take strict action if any railway official is found guilty in this connection," he said.