Market on railway land
Work for construction of a market on this leased railway land in front of Chatmohar railway station in Pabna district continues although lease rules strictly prohibit any concrete construction there. The photo was taken a few days ago. Photo: STAR
An alleged land grabber belonging to the ruling party has continued illegal construction of a market on a disputed railway land in front of Chatmohar rail station in the district although there is a legal battle concerning the lease of the land. Around one and a half months ago, Md Azizal Haque, a fish trader of Chatmohar Railbazar area, started constructing a market building and digging a pond on a 38-decimal land in front of Chatmohar station in Railbazar area of Mulgram union under Chatmohar upazila, said locals. To occupy the land worth about Tk 2 crore, the influential fish trader started construction of a market in defiance of government rule but there is nobody to protest it as the grabber belongs to the ruling party, said Md Gias Uddin, chairman of Mulgram union parishad. “Illegal occupiers are grabbing valuable government lands specially those belonging to the railway through preparing false documents but there is hardly any legal action against the offenders,” he said. Talking with this correspondent, Md Azizul Haque said, “I bought the 38 decimal railway land from Modina Khatun, a 99-year-lease holder of the land, and transferred the lease document to my name in 2003. I am paying revenue of the land to keep the lease updated. As the real owner of the land I have started construction of a market and digging a pond here for fish cultivation." On March 21, two days after the start of the construction by Azizul Haque, a Md Mizanur Rahman of the same area filed a case with Pabna Judicial Magistrate's Court-1, seeking Section 144 on the land. In the case Mizanur Rahman claimed that their family is occupying the land for long by taking lease from Railway but Azizul Haque and his gang forced them to leave the land. The court ordered the police to maintain law and order regarding the land and asked for an investigation report on the matter. The court also ordered the accused to appear before the court with legal documents on May 8, court sources said. Following the court order, Chatmohar police went to the spot and stopped the construction but the influential grabber later started the illegal construction again on the land, Mizan said. “Railway estate department issued the yearly lease of the 38 decimal lands beside Chatmohar food godown in front of the rail station in the upazila to the name of my father Md Shomsher Ali on April 13, 2008. We have already paid the revenue of the land for 2009, 2010 and 2011 to renew lease of the land. But Aziz started occupying the land illegally,” he said. Divisional Estate Officer (DEO) of Railway Pakshey Division Kiron Chandra said, "When we lease a piece of land to anybody, we strictly ask them to refrain from concrete construction on railway land. Any such construction by the lease holder is illegal. They are constructing the market without our notice. Our department will investigate the matter." "Bangladesh railway stopped the process of 99-year-lease across the country since 80s. We usually lease abandoned railway lands on yearly basis. There is no legal way to transfer such lease because we are the real authority of the land,” he added.
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