Properties of Swadhinata Award winning organisation Gonoshasthaya Kendra have been put up for auction as the institute has gone bankrupt.
A Dhaka court on May 29 announced the auction through a newspaper advertisement saying the auction will take place on June 22 this year and the highest bidder will win the auction.
When contacted Dr Zafrullah Chowdhury, one of the founders of the Gonoshasthaya Kendra, prestigious Magsaysay award winner in 1985, however said a High Court stay order was given over the auction notice.
The auction notice mentioned the names of the three decree holders including Mohammad Harasatullah, Sahida Jinat Ara, wife of Harasatullah and Mehraz Parvin, daughter of Harasatullah.
All of their addresses were mentioned as Jinat Bhaban, 41/1 Kazi Nazrul Islam Avenue of Kawran Bazar.
According to the auction notice the properties include over 3 acres 2 Bigha 11Katha and 13Chattak Pharmachemi Bangladesh Ltd situated in Tongi Industrial area, Tongi, Gazipur. The approximate value of the land is Tk2.5 crore.
The other land is Ganasastha Nagar Hospital located in Dhanmondi Residential Area. The land measuring one bigha with a six-storey building. The approximate value of which is Tk2 crore.
Another land is located on the Green road in Dhaka. The land measuring more or less 10 katha together with a two-storey building the approximate value of which is Tk50 lakh
The Gonoshasthaya Kendra located at Nayarjhat of Savar was also put up for auction. The land measuring about 100 bigha with structure thereon and the approximate value of the land is Tk5 crore.
The auction notice said the properties mentioned in the notice are going to be put up for auction in a bid to collect over Tk37 crore.
Interested persons can participate in the auction by June 22 and the court will decide the highest bidder and the supreme authority can reject the tender at anytime.
Zafrullah told the Dhaka Tribune that they bought the industry in the early 80s for about Tk2 crore 12 lakh.
“Phrmachemi was a chemical industry. The owner sold the industry to us as he was unable to run it. Harsatullah was the then owner of the organisation. When we went to the bank to pay off the loan the bank authority denied us the money saying the owner of the company should have to go to the bank. But the owner refused to go to the bank with us. We then asked the bank authority not to disburse money against the check we have given to the owner of the company,” he said.
The case document said when the deed was signed Zafrullah paid Tk50 lakh and the rest of the amount was said to have been paid in four installments but the installments were not paid.
After that a case was lodged against Gonoshasthaya Kendra and the Gonoshasthaya Kendra too lodged a counter case, he said.
“We have paid all the amounts including some interests on November 30, 2008,” he said adding that the property had been in their possession since 80s.
When asked about the root of the problem Zafrullah said: “They want the whole interest which the court asked to pay. Now we got a stay order for four months to fix the interest rate, be it a simple interest or compound interest.”
When contacted none of the decree holders could be reached over phone for their comment on the issue.
