Political party offices on railway land

According to local sources, Bangladesh Jatiotabadi Railway Sromik Kormochari Dal, Bangladesh Railway Jatio Sormik Party, Bangladesh Railway Sormik League set up their offices on the railway land at the entrance of the station. The district unit of Chhatra League built up its office in the eastern side of the bridge near the station. Awami League set up its office in front of Sadar police station. Locals alleged much of the land of Bangladesh Railway at Lalmonirhat are now not in its hands. Lands are being grabbed by the two major political parties --Awami League and BNP. These parties have built their offices at a place adjacent to the railway station. Not only have they set up party offices displaying their office boards, the people connected to these parties have set up shopping malls and are collecting rent from these. The lands are also bought and sold without any valid document. A total of 3.74 acre land had been grabbed by former minister Asadul Habib Dulu during the period of BNP government at the opposite side of BGB office. A college was built up after the name of Hussain Muhammad Ershad grabbing 1.87 acre-land of the railway station. Zahurul Haque Mamun, former president of the district unit Chhatra League built up market on.50 acre railway land. Sheikh Russel Shishu Park and Children Park High School had been built up grabbing the railway land. Former mayor Mosharraf Hossen Rana said maximum land of the railway station had been grabbed. So it was not a harmful matter of building up the Sheikh Russel Shishu Park. He also said there was no park in the district for recreation. The Russe park had been built up giving the priority of the recreation. Hafizur Rahman, general secretary of the district unit BNP, said there was no park in the district. The BNP govt had taken a decision to build up a park on 4 acre land by taking lease from the railway authority. But, later when the govt had been changed, AL men built up the park by grabbing land. Advocate Matiar Rahman, general secretary of the district unit AL and the district administrator said the BNP-Jammat govt had grabbed the railway land. “Now we are trying to recover the grabbed land,” he said. Lalmonirhat Divisional Railway Manager Nazmul Islam admitted the incident of the land grabbing. “The concern authorities have been ordered to recover the grabbed land,” he said.