Land Acquired for Railway in Tangail
Villagers remove sleepers demanding 'just price'
Angry villagers removing railway sleepers at Hemnagar under Gopal upazila of Tangail district yesterday demanding 'just price' for their land acquired 12 years ago for Tarakandi-Bangabandhu Bridge rail tracks. Photo: STAR
About 500 villagers from different upazilas of Tangail removed 18 cement-made sleepers near the newly constructed railway station at Hemnagar in Gopalpur upazila yesterday noon demanding 'just price' for their land that had been acquired for the rail track. Being informed, Gopalpur upazila nirbahi officer (UNO) Suraiya Begum along with a police team rushed to the spot and brought the situation under control. The UNO told this correspondent that she held a talk with the angry villagers and assured them of placing their demand to the authorities concerned. Earlier on 24 May last, the villagers had formed a human chain at the railway station demanding just prices of their lands and gave an ultimatum in this regard. About 15,000 families of Gopalpur, Bhuapur and Kalihati upazilas in Tangail did not get just prices of their lands acquired 12 years ago for the Tarakandi-Bangabandhu Bridge Railway Link Project. Bangladesh Railway on 1997-1998 financial years took up the Tarakandi-Bangabandhu Bridge Railway Link Project to make a rail link between greater Mymensingh and northern region. The project was aimed at making cheaper and easy transportation of urea fertiliser from the Jamuna Fertiliser Company in Jamalpur to different districts of the country. Land acquire for the project was started in 2000 and a total 667 acres of lands were acquired in 32 mouzas under Gopalpur, Bhuapur and Kalihati upazilas to construct the 27-kilomitre railway track and two railway stations. The villagers, however, did not accept the low prices offered to them against the acquired lands, said Abdur Rashid, a villager of Bhuapur upazila.
For all latest news, follow The Daily Star's Google News channel.
Comments