Gazipur locals have alleged that Rajuk has been continuously filing up wetland and cutting vegetation at its Purbachal project in Gazipur's Kaliganj, violating a High Court order.
High Court on August 1 directed Rajuk to stop land development and financial transactions for the extended part of its proposed Purbachal New Town Project in Gazipur until it obtains environmental clearance. The court passed the order after responding to a writ petition jointly filed by the Bangladesh Environmental Lawyers' Association and six other rights groups.
The project staff, however, is saying that their work has stopped. Purbachal Project Director Md Anwar Hossain told the Dhaka Tribune: "The project work is stopped as temporarily due to a High Court directive. After Eid, when the HC will open, we will seek withdrawal of the directive for starting work."
Environmentalist groups that visited the Purbachal extended project site observed that implementation of the project was severely damaging local ecology, arable land and flora. Abu Naser Khan, chairman of Poribesh Bachao Andolan (Poba), told the Dhaka Tribune, "Rajuk turned the whole area into a barren land by cutting down all sorts of fruit-bearing trees and filling in arable land and wetlands."
"We urge Rajuk to cancel the second phase of the Purbachal Project for the sake of environment, otherwise we will continue our legal battle against them," he added.
Earlier in April the High Court directed Rajuk not to cut any tree in its Purbachal housing project area till further notice. Landowners in the area alleged that Rajuk and law enforcers had acquired their land demolishing homes and cutting down trees without any previous notice. Nakul Biswas, a resident of Barakau village in the area, said, "Without any notice, the Rajuk contractors who are working in the project site filled up my fields which were ready for harvesting with sand."
"The government offered a small amount of money, Tk100,000 per bigha of land. We are denying the offer and protesting the government's project," he said. Local Union Parishad Chairman Md Kamal Uddin and several other residents of the area also voiced similar complaints.
Purbachal Director Anwar Hossain denied these allegations. "The government sanctioned money and plots for the landowners following the law. But the landowners are not taking the money and not applying for flats. Instead they are staging violent protests," he said.
Anwar Hossain also alleged that the landowners had attacked the workers of the project and law enforcers.