To boost food safety, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has been advocating for preserving arable land for a long time.

No exception was there when she inaugurated "Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Shilpa Nagar" in Chattogram in 2018 with a clear instruction of not acquiring any such land for the zone.

Despite the PM's instructions, the economic zone which is being built along the Bay of Bengal at Mirsarai upazila of Chattogram, led by Bangladesh Economic Zone Authority (BEZA), now wants additional 700 acres of arable land adjacent to it.

The premier inaugurated the economic zone on January 24 in 2018 through a video conference, where she specifically asked the officials not to take any arable land. When former minister Eng Mosharraf Hossain of Mirsarai constituency informed her that people in the area may want to give their land willingly for the zone, the premier repeatedly told the officials not to acquire land which plays a vital role in safeguarding the nation's food security.

Despite such instructions, the economic zone has already acquired 30,000 acres of coastal forest and felled around five million trees in the process, as mentioned in the documents of the forest department and BEZA masterplan.

Meanwhile, the Land Acquisition branch of Chattogram District Administration on behalf of BEZA issued a letter asking farmers of Mogadia area -- adjacent to the economic zone -- to offer their land, which yields crops thrice a year, for the project.

The letter was issued on May 31, amid the Covid-19 pandemic. It also triggered protests among villagers of Mogadiya, Mayani and Saherkhali where around 10,000 people are in risk of eviction due to the proposed land acquisition.

The Daily Star has footage of the video conference, copy of land acquisition letter, copies of documents of forest department about the tree felling and BEZA masterplan.

On June 30, around 10,000 people rallied in the area protesting the decision.

They said they have nothing except this land on which they yield crops to support their family, graze their livestock and catch fish to meet the demand of protein.

They said despite the PM's instruction, the economic zone had already acquired 30,000 acres of forest land, damaging a large source of their livelihood.

Mainul Ahsan Rukon, a resident of Purbo Mogadia under Mirsarai upazila, said they grow crops such as paddy, vegetable and beans on the land."Our lives are intertwined with this land we reside on. It provides us with food...," he said.

The villagers sought the PM's intervention to save their land.

Contacted, Paban Chowdhury, executive chairman of BEZA, said the land they were acquiring was minimal comparing to the size of the economic zone.

"We have to accommodate a large population there including educational institutions. Apart from this, there is also an 'Indian Zone' for which we need land. That's why we are acquiring more land," he said.

He said they are also building an embankment along the Bay of Bengal and will reclaim land from the sea. But in comparison to the volume of investment, they need more land.

"At least $15 billion have been proposed for the economic zone and we expect to employ 15 lakh people. We will pay the land owners triple the amount of the actual value," he said.

Asked about the PM's direction of not using arable land for the economic zone, he evaded the question.

Contacted, Md Abu Hasan Siddique, additional deputy commissioner of land acquisition in Chattogram, said he joined the department around two months ago. "The process for the economic zone started years ago and as far as I know, it has been done following due procedures."

The land acquisition is at the final stage, he informed The Daily Star yesterday.

Regarding the prime minister's direction, Siddique said he does not have a clear idea about the matter as the process has been completed long before he joined.