Local Awami League leaders on Friday took possession of a disputed land near the Officers’ Club of Bandarban city within three hours.
Local Awami League leader Badsha, Roads and Highway Department, Truck Owners’ Association and the Bandarban Municipality are engaged in a case claiming ownership of the property.
Badsha claims that he took possession of the place by order of the court as there was a case going on between him and the district Truck Owners’ Association.
On 2011, Bandarban Bazar authorities leased the place to Badsha for ten years. Although there was a case going on between Badsha and Truck Owners’ Association, the dispute ended in a mutual understanding on Thursday with the arbitration of Bandarban district Awami League general secretary Kazi Mujibur Rahman.
On Friday, more than fifty men employed by the Truck Owners’ Association and Badsha filled up the place within three hours with soil and built a house there. Rahman and the Truck Owners’ Association president were present at that time.
Rahman said: “I have come here to recover the place for helpless Badsha as he could not rescue his own place.”
Truck Owners’ Association general secretary Md Musa said the association had purchased a room in the newly built house from Badsha. But he could not show any documentation for the purchase.
Bandarban Municipality on the other hand, says it owns the property, and there was a cattle-shed on it. Municipal authorities sent an application to the Hill District Council for the lease of the place. In a lease notification of Bandarban Municipality, published in a daily newspaper on June 1, 2009, the place was shown as a cattle-shed belonging to the municipality.
Sources in the municipality say according to the Hill Tracts law a person or organisation deserves to get a lease of a property if they have been in possession of the place for a long time.
Acting mayor of Bandarban Municipality Mong Hoi Ching said: “We have informed the matter immediately to MP Bir Bahadur and the deputy commissioner. We have requested them to rescue the property.”
Bandarban Roads and Highways Department executive engineer Fajlul Haque said: “The place is ours. We gave it to the municipality for use.”
