Railway land up for grabs

Encroachment of railway land continues unabated in Saidpur upazila town of Nilphamari as authorities have yet to act on 24 recommendations made by a ministerial probe body in mid-2021.

The recommendations included recovering the occupied land and bringing those responsible, including corrupt railway officials, to book.

The probe body found that influential grabbers, with the backing of political leaders and railway officials, had illegally occupied 350 acres of railway land worth Tk 5,000 crore in Saidpur, home to the country's largest railway workshop.

It also revealed that 70 percent of the 2,488 railway quarters for staff and officers had been grabbed.

Railway authorities formed the probe body after journalist Motaleb Hossain lodged a complaint with the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) in late 2020, which was later forwarded to the railways ministry. However, despite the passage of nearly four years, no concrete action has been taken, and land grabbing continues openly, Hossain said.

As an example of fresh encroachment, he claimed that eight high-rise buildings have recently been constructed illegally on both sides of Shahid Dr Shamsul Huque Road and Shahid Zikrul Huque Road.

The probe report identified six political party offices, including those of BNP, Awami League, and Jatiyo Party, as being set up on occupied railway land.

Additionally, it found 36 multi-storey residential hotels, 16 commercial banks, 43 industries, 150 multi-storey business centres, and 5,000 shops built on the encroached land.

Among the key accused, the report named former upazila unit president of Awami League Moksedul Momin as the main grabber, alleging that he occupied vast amounts of railway land and constructed high-rise buildings for profit.

Other accused individuals include business leader Altaf Hossain, Jatiyo Party leader Joinal Abedin, and traders Babu Ali Dalmil, Nazrul Islam, and Atiqul Islam.

The report said Joinal demolished a railway food warehouse to construct a four-storey market. Altaf reportedly built 12 multi-storey buildings, while upazila unit president of the Corruption Prevention Committee, Lion Nazrul Islam, constructed a multi-storey building for Lion School and College on encroached land.

Each of the accused denied the allegations when contacted.

Joinal refuted claims of demolishing the railway food warehouse, saying the British-era building had been in ruins long before he took a 99-year lease from the railway market committee in 1984.

He claimed the Saidpur municipality approved the design and plan for his four-storey market.

However, railway estate department sources said the market committee did not have the authority to grant a 99-year lease.

Several encroachers have established educational institutions on occupied land to legitimise their illegal activities.

One such institution, Shamsul Huque Memorial Academy, named after the late father of Moksedul Momin, was built on a key point installation (KPI) area of the railway workshop, right in front of its gate.

The then cultural affairs minister, Asaduzzaman Noor, inaugurated the institution. Sources said Momin was one of his close aides.

Momin, who is currently in hiding for political reasons, could not be contacted for comment. However, after the probe report was submitted, he held a press conference denying all allegations.

Regarding the academy, he claimed that workers' and employees' organisations at the workshop jointly built it, as he was a workers' leader.

During the BNP-led government (2001-2006), the then Saidpur municipality mayor and lawmaker late Amzad Hossain Sarker reportedly facilitated land grabbing by supporting the construction of high-rise buildings on railway land.

According to railway and local sources, in 1985, railway authorities handed over 25.75 acres of land in Saidpur town to the local municipality under an agreement allowing the municipality to regulate markets and collect revenue, with a portion to be shared with the railway.

However, sources alleged that the municipality misinterpreted the agreement, treating the land as its own and allowing rampant encroachment since the early 2000s.

They further stated that as the 25.75 acres were not demarcated, the municipality has since occupied nearly double the allocated area while ignoring railway estate department notices to clarify the boundary.

The probe report said the land grabbing occurred in violation of a court stay order.

It recommended departmental action against the divisional superintendent of Saidpur railway workshop, estate department officials, some members of the railway police, and railway security personnel for failing to protect railway property.

It also called for criminal cases against land grabbers and the appointment of skilled lawyers to handle court proceedings. However, none of the recommendations have been implemented.

Mazharul Anwar Shamim, secretary of Sujan (Sushasoner Jonno Nagorik) in Saidpur, said, "The railway in Saidpur is on the verge of ruin. Implementing the probe body's 24 recommendations is the only way to save it."

Contacted, Railway Ministry Secretary Md Fahimul Islam said, "We are sincere about recovering railway land and working to obtain magistracy powers for immediate action against encroachers."

He said notices had already been issued for the removal of illegal structures.