Five of the lakes of Jahangirnagar University (JU) are occupied by one of its employees for years while he also did not repay the lease money of Tk 43 lakh to the university despite the authorities issuing him notices 19 times, seeking dues and his response.

Abbas Ali Talukdar, a grade-III employee of Shaheed Salam Barkat hall, took a three-year lease for farming fish in five lakes, which expired two years ago.

An estate office paper showed that he did not pay the lease money or hand over the charge of the lakes. A probe body was formed, which submitted a report seven months earlier but no initiative was enacted, it added. 

Abbas tried to use influential teachers and officials to dismiss the due, alleged an official of the estate office.

Md Nurul Amin, acting officer to the estate, said the office again sent a notice asking him to repay the dues; otherwise they would start taking it from his monthly pay, and take actions against him as per the university rule. Primarily, the due was Tk 22 lakh, which eventually increased to Tk 43 lakh after the addition of a 10pc monthly interest, he added.

"Abbas is a close ally to an influential JU senate member and a pro-Awami League man, and an active follower of the former vice-chancellor Prof Shariff Enamul Kabir," an estate office employee alleged, requesting anonymity.

"He was seen on the front line during the last two anti-VC movements in 2012-13, and had gathered a large number of men on the campus premises from Savar area as an influential pro-AL man of the area," he added.

These were the reasons for not taking legal actions against Abbas, alleged a number of employees of the estate office.

Prof Abul Khair, head of the probe body and JU treasurer, said the probe was ongoing; further action against Abbas would be taken soon.

"A meeting was held last week," said Nurul Amin, the estate officer. "We spoke to the university law officer, and took a decision to reclaim the lakes."

Meanwhile, the lakes are badly in need of restoration. No local or migratory bird arrives, or water lily blooms there due to fish farming, use of fertilisers and lack of renovations. The water has become polluted and some of the lakes are filled with clumps of dried water hyacinth.

Abbas could not be reached for comments, as his phone was turned off. But Associate Professor Sikder Md Zulkarnine, the hall warden, confirmed that Abbas could be seen regularly at work and on the campus premises.