Govt cancels 30-year deal

The government has decided in principle to hand over the operational charge of Jamuna Resort to army by cancelling a 30-year lease to a consortium of Bangladeshi and foreign companies halfway through.

Bangladesh Bridge Authority (BBA) on Wednesday conducted a drive and vacated the resort by evicting around 180 staff of Jamuna Resort Ltd (JRL), the management consortium, without any prior notice.

Pro-BNP businessman Abdul Awal Mintoo, whose son Tabith Awal is vying for the Dhaka North City Corporation mayor's office with BNP's endorsement, is the chairman of the JRL.

According to JRL officials, all that the BBA authorities showed during the drive was a lawyer's certificate.

Later yesterday, a High Court bench directed the authorities concerned not to evict the JRL in three months.

However, the resort -- located on the south bank of the Jamuna river in Tangail, around 100km from the capital -- was still locked till yesterday evening with the BBA authorities reportedly declining to hand over the keys before Sunday.

An official of the road transport and bridges ministry said the decision to hand over the charge of the 400-acre luxury resort to the army was taken last month.

"Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has already approved a proposal to this end," said the official, who had access to the proposal, preferring anonymity.

Photo; Mirza Shakil

Road Transport and Bridges Minister Obaidul Quader said, "The resort resort might be given to one of the armed forces."
Asked whether it was the army, he said: "It's not just the army. It could be the Navy as well. The decision that the prime minister takes will be absolute."

A new cantonment for Bangladesh Army was inaugurated near the resort site in January.
On March 16, the BBA issued a notice asking the JRL to explain why the lease would not be cancelled for "not implementing some projects and paying the dues," ANM Shahjahan, general manager of the JRL, told The Daily Star.

They replied to the notice on March 23, and the BBA sent another letter on April 1 saying that the lease had been cancelled as "the reply was not satisfactory", according to another JRL high-up.

Then the resort operators moved before a Dhaka court which on April 2 stayed the lease cancellation notice and directed the BBA to maintain a status quo on the resort's possession until further order.

The same court on Wednesday removed the status quo following a government appeal and the same day the BBA conducted the eviction drive.

The JRL yesterday moved before the High Court which stayed the April 22 order of the Dhaka court and allowed the consortium to run its business for the next three months, JRL's counsel AKM Ehsanur Rahman told The Daily Star.

The HC bench of Justice Nazrul Islam Chowdhury and Justice Amir Hossain asked the government to explain why the April 22 order should not be overruled, he added.

JRL Director Tafsir Awal, also a son of Mintoo,  questioned the motive of the government move. "Definitely there is a bad intention behind this … It's a political harassment."

Asked if he thinks his brother's mayoral bid with BNP's support had anything to with it, Tafsir said: "Definitely it has."
Due procedures were not followed in the cancellation process, he said adding: "It was done all so hurriedly".
Both Tafsir and Shahjahan said they had heard that the army was going to get the resort's operational contract.

The resort was being run by Jamuna Resort Ltd and BNP leader Abdul Awal Mintoo is the chairman of the company. His son is running for mayor in Dhaka North City Corporation polls. Photo: Mirza Shakil

The JRL is a consortium of 10 companies -- including Mintoo's Pragati Insurance, Pragati Life insurance, Nepal's Chowdhury Group, KDS Group of Chittagong and WW Grains -- among others.

India's Zinc Hospitality Ltd has been given the operational work of the resort.
The JRL took the Jamuna Resort on lease in November 1999 for 30 years but the BBA handed over its possession in 2005, according to Shahjahan, GM of the JRL.

He also alleged that valuables were looted from the resort during Wednesday's eviction drive.
Subir Kumar Banerjee, general manager (operations) of the resort, told The Daily Star that the BBA authorities displayed an "inhumane behaviour" during the eviction.

"They came along with police and magistrate to evict us immediately. They were hurling abusive words at us," said the Indian national.
"I couldn't leave immediately since I live here with my family. I requested them to give me at least 24 hours so that I can prepare myself to vacate the house. But they wouldn't do it. Finally, when I telephoned the DC (deputy commissioner of Tangail), he granted me the time," he said.

"I also have informed the Indian High Commission in Dhaka of the matter," he added.
To talk on these, Minister Obaidul Quader suggested this correspondent to talk to the BBA secretary.

Contacted, Secretary Khandker Anwarul Islam said: "The BBA director (admin) can speak on this better than me. Please, talk to him."
Director Sobir Ahmmed then said the BBA secretary knew it better than him. "You should talk to him," he told The Daily Star.
An official of the road transport and bridges ministry said if the decision is implemented, the government will have to pay the JRL Tk 70-80 crore in compensation.