Land grabbers in Chandpur are trying to grab about two acres of wetland belonging to the railway authority in Mission road area.
Locals also alleged that officials of railway are also invloved in the encroachment process.
Although the railway authority has now put up barb-wire fences around the area due to pressure from the Department of Environment (DoE), the filled up waterbody is still prone to being taken over. The group of local land grabbers are still trying to occupy the land through administrative loopholes with the help of influential ruling party men.
It was learnt that some local influentials filled up one of the large waterbodies located east of Court Station and west of Truck Road in over a month. They were also preparing to fill up the rest of the wetland.
According to the locals, the grabbers planned to construct a market building on the land under the ruse of a commercial lease and using the name of Chandpur municipality. They collected money from hundreds using a cooperative called “Bondhu Mohol.”
According to DoE sources, a cautionary signboard was put up on the wetland area upon instruction from DoE Chittagong office Director Md Jafar Alam after being informed of the incident. Right after, in April of last year, a general diary was filed with the Chandpur Model Police Station which stated a warning for the land grabbers that filling up of such wetlands is a punishable offence under the environment laws. The letter, signed by Director Md Jafar Alam, stated that regarding the accusations of filling up 1.99 acres of railway waterbodies statements from Chandpur municipality executive engineer, secretary, councillors and others concerned have been taken. After reviewing the statements and relevent paperwork, it was concluded that Mamun Patowari and Showkat Osman and others, with the approval of the municipality authority and Councillor DM Shahjahan, filled up the wetlands with four lakh cubic feet of earth in the name of Bondhu Mohol cooperative.
The letter carried the instruction that those involved in the illegal fill-up of the wetland must restore it to its previous state within three months or appropriate actions would be taken against them. Afterwards, railway authority put up the fence around the filled up land. However, seven months have passed since the notice but the instructions have not been carried out. The DoE have not taken any steps in this matter either.
Chittagong land officer Jashim Uddin told journalists: “We visited the site on information and also informed the district administrator and the superintendent of police. Railway authority did not give anyone permission to fill up its wetlands. Any paperwork those people have is forged. A case have been filed against them under the environment act. I will request the members of the cooperative to take their money back.”
DoE Chittagong office Assistant Director Arefin Badal said: “It was my duty to inform the higher authority and I have done that. Any future steps will be taken according to their decisions.”
Md Mokbul Hossain, Director of DoE Chittagong office, told Dhaka Tribune: “Not all the responsibilities lie with DoE. What the owners of that land are doing, that needs to be checked too.“Such incidents are more or less routine. Since this harms the environment we are concerned. The railway authority was also responsible for giving us a follow-up. Since I am new here, I cannot say any more on this matter right now but I will look into it.”