Several government entities have engaged in a tug of war over a lucratively located piece of land in Dhaka where the Rapid Action Battalion has already started construction work for its permanent headquarters.
Bangladesh Railway claims the disputed 8.52 acres of land – which is in close proximity to rail tracks just opposite Dhaka airport – belongs to them; the RAB insists that the government had given them the land to set up a headquarters for the elite force; while the civil aviation authority claims that the land was under their name until the government decided to hand it over to RAB.
On the other hand, Padma oil company, which although does not claim ownership of the land, says it has development plans near the disputed site for constructing a siding line (a low-speed rail track section distinct from a running line) to supply jet fuel to the airport.
There has reportedly been a long-standing ownership dispute between the railway and the civil aviation authorities over a large chunk of land in the area including the disputed 8.52 acre of land, which is located between the rail tracks of the Dhaka-Tongi route and the hajj camp.
The railway authority is saying they need the land to lay down the third and the fourth sets of rail tracks on the Dhaka-Tongi route under a prime minister’s priority project funded by the Indian government, as well as carrying out some expansion work of the Airport Railway Station.
To find a solution, authorities concerned held a meeting on July 1, presided by Railways Minister Md Mujibul Haque.
The minutes of the meeting, a copy of which has been obtained by the Dhaka Tribune, showed that a seven-member committee headed by the additional secretary of the Land Ministry was formed to find a solution to the issue. The committee was instructed to find an alternative suitable site for RAB headquarters in the nearby area.
Although the committee was directed to submit a report in this regard within 15 days, it is yet to be submitted.
Asked about the issue, Md Moazzem Hossain, convenor of the committee, told the Dhaka Tribune last month that the committee had sought extensions to the previous deadline and expressed hopes of submitting the report at the end of September.
However, Mohammad Shahidul Islam, a member of the committee and also an additional chief engineer (east) of Bangladesh Railway, told the Dhaka Tribune yesterday that the report has not been submitted yet as no signatures had been collected from the committee member.
Claims and counter-claims
Md Tofazzol Hossain, director general of Bangladesh Railway, told the Dhaka Tribune: “Railway is the owner of the [disputed] land. But the civil aviation authority is claiming it as their own. It [the claim] is not new; previously they also used acres of railway land to construct civil aviation community centre, civil aviation university, and a few staff quarters.”
Railway authority claims of owning 650 feet stretch of land from the existing rail tracks to the east (toward the land allotted for RAB headquarters). However, the civil aviation authority had reportedly erected the wall only 50 feet away from the rail tracks.
Tofajjol also made similar claims at the July 1 meeting. According to the minutes of the meeting, he said: “Previously, when the civil aviation authority started to construct its convention centre [near the allotted land for RAB headquarters] on railway’s land, we went to Dhaka Second Judge’s Court seeking a permanent ban on the construction work. This case was later transferred to the Fourth Judge’s Court which directed to stop the construction until the case was disposed. But the civil aviation authority is still continuing the construction.
“After constructing a link railway to the Padma Bridge and the Dhaka-Narayanganj double rail line, many services of Kamalapur Rail Station will have to be transferred to the Airport Rail Station. On the other hand, construction of the Dhaka-Tongi third and fourth rail line financed by the Indian government will also go over this [disputed] land,” Tofajjol told the Dhaka Tribune.
According to the minutes, Railway Secretary Abul Kalam Azad asked authorities concerned to find an alternative site for the RAB headquarters in order to accomplish several development works on the land. He said an assessment was needed for recommendations on relocating the RAB headquarters to a nearest suitable site, so that work could be carried out on laying down the Dhaka-Tongi third and fourth lane rail tracks, building a siding line to supply jet fuel for Biman, building a tunnel from the Dhaka airport to the Airport Railway Station, and to enhance the railway station’s facilities.
Md Rizaul Haque, project director of the aviation fuel receiving pipeline project, told the Dhaka Tribune: “Now jet fuel is supplied from Chittagong by tank lorries. During any labour or political strike, the supply has to be stopped. That is why a project was taken with the railway to supply the jet fuel from Chittagong through rail wagon.
“To stop those wagons in airport area, we need a siding line which the railway authority will construct for us. Just near the RAB headquarters’ land, the civil aviation authority also allotted land which is 60 feet in width and 2,664 feet in length for the jet fuel siding line project.
“The railway is now facing problem as they need more land for their own project, but the civil aviation is not giving it to them. For that dispute, the railway authority has still not started our project,” the project director claimed.
Rijaul added: “It is very important to make the siding line for the airport to provide jet fuel without any obstacle.” Claiming that these projects were more important than the RAB headquarters, he said: “Every problem will be solved if the allotted land for RAB can be moved to another site.”
GM Abdul Kader, director (administration) of Civil Aviation Authority of Bangladesh (CAAB), told the Dhaka Tribune: “The civil aviation authority had acquired the land, but recently the government took it back from us. The RAB authority got the allotment from the government.”
Shudhendu Bikash Goswami, chief engineer of civil aviation, also echoed Kader, saying: “Civil aviation was the owner of this land. We have every document [regarding this]. The land for RAB headquarters was allotted two years back after giving the required land for the railway’s plan. But now they [railway] want more, which has created the problem.”
Mokhlesur Rahman, director general of RAB, who was present at the July 1 meeting, told the Dhaka Tribune over phone yesterday,” The government gave us the land and we will construct our headquarters there.
“I do not know about any dispute over the land. All we know is that the land is ours and it is under our possession,” he added.
A visit to the site
During a recent visit to the site, the Dhaka Tribune found that the area was walled off and guarded by a RAB member, while it was already being filled with soil. A small excavator could also be seen at the middle of the site.
A large sign-board had also been erected in front of the land, reading: “Selected land for RAB headquarters.” Another small sign near the entrance also read: “Own property of RAB forces headquarters; entry and urinating are prohibited.”
Locals claimed that the land used to be a part of a water body called the Shialdanga Beel which was leased from the civil aviation authority for fish farming.
Jamal Hossain, who had been selling boiled eggs on the footpath just opposite the land for around seven years, told the Dhaka Tribune: “RAB started to fill the land with soil from last Ramadan.”
Sayeed, who sells coconut beside Jamal, said: “Everyday from 2pm to 5am, around 15 to 20 trucks filled the land with soil.”
