NEWS report on Thursday said several influential quarters operating under the shelter of the government have allegedly grabbed government khash lands worth several hundred crore taka in the heart of tourist town of Cox’s Bazar. These land grabbers are surprisingly having firm control on their illegal occupation over the years under the very nose of law enforcement bodies. It is quite surprising why nobody is taking any step to recover the property.
Many wonder how some grabbers have not only set up structures on the land without ownership deeds and government permission, they are even selling land freely at valuable locations near the DC’s Bungalow, Baharchhara High School and at New Sea Beach Road. The neglect of the local administration is clearly suggestive of the fact that some of them may be collaborating with politically powerful local groups in discreet as beneficiaries from such illegal occupation and sale of high cost land in the resort town.
Reports said that some powerful quarters have taken possession of at least 52 acres of prime land at different locations in the center of the town. Some others are occupying at least 10 acres of land closer to Cox’s Bazar Officers’ Club, Saikat Post Office and Marine Fisheries Research Institute. The total value of the grabbed land is several hundreds crore taka. The government buys such land at a rate of taka 23 crore per acre at the moment.
It appears unbelievable that Bangladesh Biman; which was allocated only 10 decimal government land at Bijoy Swarani to set up its office in the resort town about a decade ago has so far failed to take possession of it owing to threats from the land grabbers. As it looks, thieves are more powerful now than a government in power and some highly corrupt government officials are rendering the government more helpless taking support from some powerful ruling party leaders. To them everything is admissible and nothing is impossible and if the account is true, then powerful quarters are out to grab all prime land in the sea front town when the government is witnessing the development in almost total silence.
This neglect and misuse of government property raises serious questions about the government’s ability and willingness to protect its own assets. Such illegal occupation of prime government land is at work at almost everywhere. Railway is the biggest loser of khas land throughout the country. Everybody knows that such crimes are going on unchecked because of impunity that the land grabbers enjoy under protection from powerful political quarters.
In our view the government must act quickly to recover the land. Otherwise, a situation will develop soon when powerful people will hold control of most public land while expansion of public and private activities will come to almost ground because of scarcity of suitable land at important places.
