Four Upazilas of Nilphamari
Grabbers occupy most land requisitioned for refugees
Most of 3,602 acres of land in four upazilas of Nilphamari district, requisitioned by the then Pakistan government during 1947-1952 to accommodate refugees from India, is now under illegal occupation due to lack of proper maintenance by the authorities.
Sources of the department concerned said 3,031.83 acres of the requisitioned land are in Paschim Kharibari, Uttar Kharibari, Kisamat Chhatnai, Dohol Para, Chhatnai, Purbo Chhatnai, Gayabari, Akashkuri, Dakhhin Kharibari of Dimla upazila.
Besides, 543.10 acres were requisitioned at Natun Bazar, Kukhapara, Burir Danga, Singdoi, Nilphamari Bazar Mouja, Dhulia Bill, Bamon Danga, Araji Itakhola, Kittania Para and Gorgram villages in Sadar upazila, 22.50 acres at Bhaban Chur and Dauabari villages in Jaldhaka upazila and 4.41 acres at Kazipara village of Saidpur upazila.
During 1947-1952, a good number of refugees were given shelter in some parts of those lands while the remaining areas remained unutilised, said Dimla upazila parishad Chairman Aftabuddin Ahmed.
After the independence of Bangladesh in 1971, a section of unscrupulous people gradually encroached on those lands and began 'land trade' by handing over its possession in exchange of money. For this, buyers and sellers usually make unregistered deeds on government stamps, invalid in eyes of laws, he said.
Some people in collaboration with a section of dishonest land officials even made false land ownership documents and sold the lands through registration in local upazila land registry offices.
There are allegations that during the last land survey, some locals in collaboration with a section of dishonest land settlement officials got a portion of that government land recorded as private property through bribery.
No action was taken although some written allegations were filed in this regard to higher authority.
Those lands are under the control of the government's relief department and project implementation officers (PIO) of upazilas concerned are the authorities to look after them. But the PIOs, too busy in implementing various government projects, have very little scope to do maintenance work of the lands, sources said.
The district administration's several attempts to recover the occupied land failed as a section of political and local leaders backed the illegal occupants to get their support during elections and also on 'humanitarian grounds', they said.
During the last caretaker government's 2007-2008 tenure, the authorities took some strong initiative to recover the encroached lands. But the process did not continue later.
The price of the 3,602 acres of government land would be at least Tk 500 crore in the present market, land department sources said, adding that the government could earn a handsome money if those lands are properly handled.
The government can fix up the price of the lands and hand it over to those in possession through making deeds upon realisation of the money, Nilphamari Sadar upazila parishad Vice Chairman Shahid Mahmud suggested.
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