Commuters have been suffering over the last seven months as a group of local Awami League men grabbing a passengers’ shed have built three shops there.
Local people said a group of AL men led by Abu Bakkar Siddique Shyamal, Hatibanha upazila unit AL’s organising secretary and personnel assistant of former state minister for primary and mass education Motahar Hossain, had grabbed the shed, which is located beside Lalmonirhat-Burimari Highway in Milon Bazar area of Barokhata union at Hatibandha upazila in Lalmonirhat, on May 28 and built three shops overnight.
Majedul Islam, 50, a resident of Miloin Bazar village, said they had used the passengers’ shed till May 28 last year, but now they had to stand at the roadside while waiting for buses.
Abu Hena Mostafa Jaman Sohel, chairman of Barakhata union parishad, said locals had submitted a written complaint to the then upazila Nirbahi officer seeking measures regarding the matter several times, but no step has been taken to free the shed from the grabbers for unknown reasons.
“We tried to free the shed from land grabbers, but that was not possible as the UNO did not help us. They also threatened us with dire consequences several times.”
Rafiqul Islam, a word councilor, said Shyamal and his cohorts had assaulted him and two other locals as they tried to their raise voices against them.
“We were admitted to Hatibandha Upazila Health Complex and took five-day treatment there as they beat us up indiscriminately,” he said, adding that they had submitted a written complaint against them, but the district administration could not take any action in this regard.
The passengers’ shed was constructed by the district council at a cost of Tk4 lakh with a view to ease sufferings of commuters.
Shyamal, however, said he was not involved with the grabbing of the passengers’ shed.
Upazila Nirbahi Officer Mahbubur Rahman said he was not aware of the matter as he had joined recently.
He said he would take necessary steps to free the shed from the grabbers’ immediately.