Follow-up
<i>Now flags flutter on encroached WDB land as nobody stops it</i>
The influential businessman, who earlier started illegal earth-filling and put a signboard claiming ownership of the land belonging to WDB just beside Nabaganga Regulator in Magura town, yesterday hoisted colourful flags there, as if to make the claim even stronger. Inset, the four-vent regulator.Photo: STAR
The influential businessman, who earlier started earth-filling in the restricted area of four-vent Nabaganga regulator near Dhaka road bus stand in the district town, yesterday hoisted colourful flags apparently to 'establish' his claim on the land belonging to the Water Development Board (WDB). On December 13, he put up a signboard on the same land ignoring the instructions from the local administration to refrain from any construction work in the area adjoining the regulator, a key point installation (KPI) of the country. "This land is bought and owned by Alhaj Rajab Ali Majnu, son of late Abdul Hakim Biswas, proprietor-Laboni Steel Corner, Syed Ator Ali Road, Magura," reads the signboard. When asked, Majnu said, "I have all the documents to claim ownership of the land and I have hoisted colourful flags there to welcome the new year 2013". In late September, the alleged grabber, Rajab Ali Majnu, known as an adherent of ruling Awami League (AL), built a tin-shed structure on the land and started earth-filling there. He continued the act even after the WDB officials served two notices on October 1 and October 2, asking Majnu to remove the illegal structure. Majnu ignored the notices and WDB authorities filed a case with Magura Sadar police station on October 6, accusing Majnu for violating the KPI Act that prohibits any structure within 150 metres of it. As police did not record the case even after 17 days of its filing, Mohammad Faruk Bhuyan the then executive engineer of Magura WDB, submitted a petition to the deputy commissioner (DC) in Magura on October 23. On November 5, a team led by the ADC (Revenue) Goutam Chandra Pal and Magura Sadar Upazila Nirbahi Officer Mohammad Tabibur Rahman measured the land but the team is yet to submit the measurement report to the DC, said sources in the DC office and WDB. After failed attempts to get enough cooperation from police and civil administration to remove the structure built on the restricted land adjacent to the four-vent Nabaganga regulator, WDB authorities in Magura on December 6 sought help of the board's Security Cell in Dhaka for protection of the KPI. Construction of any structure within 150 metres will lead to collapse of the KPI on Magura-Dhaka highway, causing disruption of businesses between Benapole land port and capital Dhaka, said the December 6 letter signed by Mohammad Lutfur Rahman, executive engineer of Magura WDB. Serious damage to Nabaganga regulator will disrupt road communication between Dhaka and 10 south-western districts and hamper cultivation on about 3,000 hectares of land adjacent to the Nabaganga River, goes the letter. On contact, ADC Goutam Chandra Pal said, "After seeing the flags and signboard on the land, I have asked the WDB authorities to move through official procedure. I will submit the land measurement report within the possible shortest time."
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