How can a civilian sell govt land?
BCL leader builds building on govt land; commuters suffer as road gets narrow
The Water Development Board (WDB) owns a small piece of land by a flood-control embankment at Charmontaj Bazar area in Patuakhali's Rangabali upazila.
However, Wahid Khan Raj, deputy public education affairs secretary of Bangladesh Chhatra League's (BCL) central committee, and his brother Charmontaj Union Swechchhasebak League President Shahidul Khan are jointly constructing a five-storey building on this land.
Two floors of the building have already been completed. Meanwhile, many workers are working round the clock to finish the rest.
Sohrab Hossain, chief mason of the building, said the foundation of the building is for five floors.
Locals said the construction of the building started last year on the east side of Charmontaj Bazar, which is already a narrow strip.
They also said the space in this busy place has shrunk further due to the construction.
However, none of them wanted to come on record, fearing repercussions from the BCL leader and his brother.
Due to the structure, vehicles and motorcycles cannot pass freely, and this as led to long tailbacks.
Contacted, Raj said, "I have bought this land legally from a man named Jewel Matubbar."
"However, Jewel took the money but did not complete the deed. It is expected that he will hand it over within a day or two," he added.
Contacted, Jewel Matubbar, who allegedly sold this government land, said, "I sold two decimals of the land to Raj and Shahidul Khan and received a total of Tk 3.5 crore."
"The land deed has not been handed over yet. But it will be completed within a day or two," he added.
However, he did not give any clear answer on how he could sell a government property.
Rangabali Upazila Assistant Commissioner (Land) Mohammad Salek Muhid, said, "We will take action after an inquiry."
Contacted, Kalapara WDB Executive Engineer Arif Hossain, said, "There is no opportunity to construct buildings by occupying the WDB's land."
"We were not aware of this. We will send a monitoring officer there soon and take necessary measures," he added.