Staff Reporter :
Education Minister Dipu Moni has rejected allegations about her relatives’ involvement in the corruption surrounding the land acquisition process for the proposed Chandpur Science and Technology University.
“No land that belongs to me or my family was among the areas acquired for the (CSTU) university,” said the minister while addressing a press conference at her Hare Road official residence on Thursday evening.
The minister said: “I’ve no land purchased in Chandpur. I may have land there inherited from my father. As per the proof I have, I can say that my elder brother sold the land at the proposed site before acquisition.” “Neither my family, nor I have any land at the proposed site of the university. Any of my political colleagues may have land there.”
Dipu Moni also termed the news published in the mass media involving her family members as “false, fabricated and intentional.”
She said, “None of my family members is involved in acquisition of land. A particular media has involved me and my brother in it politically. However, I would like to
make it clear that I have no land in Chandpur. It should be investigated whether anyone is involved in inflated land prices and steps should be taken according to laws.”
Asked whether Chandpur’s political leaders have any involvement in instigating against her, the minister said, “I don’t want to say anything else in this regard right now. I’ll raise the matter at the party forum. I don’t want to make any remark right now.”
Earlier a national daily published a report on the issue of the CSTU’s land acquisition by Dipu Moni’s family. It said that the relatives and political people of Dr Dipu Moni have bought nearly 62.5 acres at an inflated price 20 times more than the actual price of the land chosen by the government for the CSTU.
Allegations have raised that the influential people, reportedly closed to education minister Dipu Moni and her close relatives, are involved with the process to extract about Tk 359 crore more from the government than to be spent for land acquisition. They have completed deeds in their names for land in No. 10 Lakshmipur union in Chandpur sadar upazila even before the administration has given approval to acquire land. Later, these lands were chosen by the proposed university authorities and requested the district administration to acquire these.
Local people have alleged that the lands were taken from them forcefully. Some were paid a lump sum as price of land while some were just assured that they would be paid after getting the land acquisition money from the government. Only the owners of agricultural land were paid some money.
Chairman of No. 10 Lakshmipur union in Chandpur sadar upazila, Md Selim Khan, is reportedly behind everything. He is known in Chandpur district as close to education minister Dipu Moni.
The documents reveal over 23 acres (2,305 decimal) of land was bought in the name of chairman Selim Khan and his relatives. Among them, 441 decimals were bought in the name of Selim Khan’s son Shahin Khan, 428 decimals in the name of Shanto Khan, 430 decimals in the name of Selim Khan’s daughter Selina Begum and 170 decimals in the name of Pinky Akther. As much as 362 decimals of land was bought in the name of Selim Khan himself while 118 decimals of land for his business firm, Selim Enterprise, and 353 decimals in the name of Jewel, one of his employees.
Education minister Dipu Moni’s brother, Jawadur Rahim Wadud, has bought 5.68 acres of land, the highest in an individual’s name. A deed was made in the name of the minister’s cousin and Faridganj upazila parishad chairman, Jahidul Islam, with 161 decimals of land. Ninety three decimals have been registered in the name of Ayub Ali, vice-chairman of Chandpur sadar upazila and known as close to the minister, while 37 decimals have been registered in the name of Tutul Majumder, the minister’s personal assistant (political affairs).
The draft act of CSTU got final approval from the cabinet on 23 December 2019. The Chandpur Science & Technology University Bill was passed in the Jatiya Sangsad (parliament) on 9 September 2020 while the administrative order for land acquisition was approved on 6 April 2021.
The people close to the minister made deeds in their names between 18 May 2020 and 15 May 2021. Later, those lands were selected for the construction of the university and asked the district administration to acquire those.
The land acquisition department of the district administration said the government will have to spend at best Tk 1.94 billion (calculating the compensation three times of actual price as per the directives of prime minister Sheikh Hasina) for 62.5 acres of land if the price is calculated considering the actual price of land in the mouza.
But the government will have to spend Tk 5.53 billion if the deeds, prepared showing inflated price, are taken into cognizance to pay the compensation. That means the government will have to spend Tk 3.59 billion more.
Chandpur Deputy Commissioner sent a report on it to the land ministry secretary on 16 November last year. It said the education ministry on 6 April that year gave approval to acquire 62.549 acres of land from sadar upazila’s No. 115 Lakshmipur mouza for the Chandpur Science & Technology University. Following this, the district administration received a proposal to finalise the details and complete the land acquisition on 11 April 2021. The university authorities chose the land to be acquired.
The report further said as per the sub-register’s office the market price of every decimal agricultural land in that mouza is Tk 13,802. In comparison with the list of price of different types of land, fixed in 2016 and kept at the sub-registry office, the rate of price for land acquisition of “unnaturally high (20.4 times)”. The price has increased since the beginning of the activities related to the university.
Pointing to ulterior motives, the DC office report said the government would have incurred a loss of Tk 359 crore 16 lakhs if the land acquisition rate was estimated considering the “extremely abnormal” deeds. At the same time, people would have faced different problems including handing over the land. That’s why the money estimated for the land acquisition, considering the other deeds of the mouza except those “extremely abnormal” deeds, is about Tk 1.94 billion.
Wishing not to be named, two officials of the district administration told media that Lakshmipur union chairman Md Selim Khan filed a plea with the land ministry to increase the estimated amount of money amending the district administration’s estimation. A writ was filed with the High Court but that was turned down. Selim Khan filed another writ with the court.
Speaking to media, Chandpur DC, Anjana Khan Majlish, said she has made an estimate of how much money would be required for the land acquisition and informed the concerned authorities. The aggrieved people have filed a case with the High Court against her estimate. She declined to say anything more as the trial is underway.
