The people of several villages in char (landmass emerging from riverbed) areas of Sadar upazila are passing their days amid serious worry after the local administration released a list to acquire some 4300 acres of land for infrastructure development for proposed Mymensingh division.

They have demanded sparing their homesteads and farmlands from proposed acquisition list, and suggested using large areas of khas and barren lands on either side of the Brahmaputra river.

The officially proposed acquisition area includes vast tracts of farmland and household areas in Char Anandipur, Char Gobindapur, Char Ishwardia, Char Bhawanipur, Char Durgapur, Char Jelkhana and Char Laxmir Algi in Mymensingh Sadar upazila.

There are some 20,000 families in the listed area and most of them are small and marginal farmers and sharecroppers, said locals.

"I have to maintain a four-member family by cultivating vegetables on 20 decimals of inherited land and we have dwelling house on 10 decimals but the land is in the acquisition list," Babul Miah, a marginal farmer of Char Anandipur village told this correspondent on Friday afternoon.

"I have two primary school going sons. What will I do if I have to leave the land?" said an upset Babul.

Harun Rashid, a sharecropper of the same village, said different types of vegetables are cultivated in the area and it is the best support for hundreds of small and marginal farmers.

Centenarian Sohrab Hossain of Char Gobindapur said, "Where will I go at such an age if my ancestral homestead is acquired?"

At least 98 percent of the families living in the areas under the acquisition list are directly dependent on agriculture, are in deep fear after releasing the acquisition list, said several affected people while talking with this correspondent at Joybangla Bazar on October 30.

Demanding to spare their homestead and farmland from proposed acquisition list, hundreds of people joined a rally at Joybangla Bazar in Char Sirta union of Mymensingh Sadar on Friday afternoon.

Speakers at the rally suggested using large areas of khas and barren lands on either side of the Brahmaputra river to save farmlands and land acquisition cost as well.

They submitted a memorandum to Religious Affairs Minister Principal Motiur Rahman and Mymensingh Deputy Commissioner Md Khalilur Rahman in favour of their demand on Wednesday and Thursday respectively.

Contacted, the deputy commissioner said, "We have received the memorandum and are thinking about the matter."