Permanent structure on leased land

Brahmanbaria Chamber of Commerce and Industry is constructing a six-storey building on a leased land at Kumarshil Moar of Brahmanbaria town, allegedly in violation of the lease contact.

The Chamber took 30-year lease of a 15-decimal land at Kumarshil Moar in June, 2014 and as per an agreement signed in May, 2018, the organisation was allowed to build a temporary structure to use it as their office, said sources at Brahmanbaria deputy commissioner’s (DC) office.

But later they started heavy piling work to construct a six-story building, which led to a large crack on the wall of adjacent Madina Masjid, said locals and mosque committee men.

Visiting the spot on last Saturday, this correspondent found that the underground foundation is already complete and 15 to 20 labourers were working at the construction site.

“We are worried as the construction work affects the mosque,” said Taz Mohammad Yasin, president of Madina Masjid managing committee.

After cracks appeared on the mosque wall, the district administration stopped the building construction but the chamber authorities resumed the work early this month.

When contacted, Brahmanbaria Chamber of Commerce and Industry President Azizul Haque said, “We are doing the construction according to terms and conditions of the lease.”

But, he could not show any document to support his claim of the administration’s permission to build permanent structure on the said land, when asked for it.

He also said that he had no knowledge of the damage of the adjacent mosque.

Brahmanbaria DC Hayat-Ud-Dwolla Khan in December last year said, “After knowing about the cracks of the adjacent mosque, the district administration ordered the Chamber to stop the construction work.”

The DC is now on leave.

Additional DC (General) Mohammad Shamsuzzaman, who is now serving as the DC (in-charge), told The Daily Star, “The matter is out of my knowledge. I will take detailed information in this regard.”