Karnaphuli up for encroachment since 1927

The last 90 years of Karnaphuli has been a history of encroachment. Since 1927, one illegal structure after another has grown up on its banks lining Chittagong city. Today the encroachers total more than two thousand.

Five years ago, rights group Human Rights and Peace for Bangladesh brought the situation to the notice of the High Court and sought a remedy, by filing a writ petition.

The court then asked the Chittagong district administration to conduct a survey. Five years later, in June 2015, the survey revealed that there are 2,187 illegal occupants including individuals, business owners, slums, a container terminal, and six government entities.

Citing the Bangladesh Survey (BS) of 1985-1987, the survey report said there are 75 encroachers occupying 16.251 acres of land, while 2,112 other occupiers were identified in the Revisional Survey (RS) published in 1927-1928. The RS report did not specify the total amount of land occupied.

The areas where the river land was occupied are Bakalia, Patenga, Madrabari, Ghosail Danga, Monoharkhali, and Firingi Bazar.

According to the BS survey, in Bakalia area the encroachers are Bheramara Samabai Somity Slum and a former ward councillor, Peyar Mohammed. In Madarbari and Goshail Danga area, 2.211 acres was occupied by 24 business establishments including Karnaphuli Slipway and Dockyard, MS Euro Shipping, Abdur Nabi Dobash, Abdur Nur Chowdhury and AK Khan and Company. Three government establishments are occupying 11 acres of land -- the port jetty and tower of Chittagong Port and Capital Dredging and Bank Protection project in Madarbari, Monoharkhali, and Firingi Bazar.

As per the Revisional Survey, 23.49 acres of the river land in Bakalia is occupied by 350 structures of Bastuhara Samabai Somity Slum. Besides, four individuals -- Abu Taher, Abdun Nur, Shamshul Alam, and Solaiman -- occupied three acres of land each in the area. In east Patenga area the report identified 1,741 individual occupiers, but did not mention the occupied areas. A container terminal, Incontrade Ltd, was built occupying three acres in east Patenga.

The government agencies that occupy the river land include Bangladesh Navy Canteen (1.3 acres), Bangladesh Air Force (10 acres), and Bangladesh Navy Boat Club (1.8 acres).

REMEDY

Last month the High Court gave an order to evict them. In its judgement, the court asked the deputy commissioner (DC) to publish a circular in two local newspapers within seven days after receiving the full judgment asking owners of the illegal structures (apart from the six government structures) to relocate their 2,181 illegal structures. If the structures are not relocated in 90 days, the authorities will evict those, read the order.

Talking to The Daily Star yesterday, Additional Deputy Commissioner (Revenue) Abdul Jalil said they were yet to get the full verdict.

He said that after receiving the full verdict, they would ask for funding to evict the occupants. "If the government gives us the money, we could proceed with the eviction."

The administration sees it as a big challenge because several crores of taka will be necessary to conduct the eviction drives, said Jalil.