Four more bighas of land found to be grabbed by Haji Salim

The local administration has traced four more bighas of khas land forcefully occupied by Awami League member of parliament Haji Salim’s Madina Group in Meghnaghat of Sonargaon upazila, Narayanganj. The upazila administration has sent an eviction notice to Haji Salim. On Thursday a signboard was placed on the land, declaring it to be government property.

In the eviction notice, issued by the upazila assistant commissioner (land) Al Mamun to the Madina Group managing director on Wednesday, it was said that Madina Group has occupied four bighas of government land in the Sona Ulla mouza of Char Ramzan of Meghnaghat without any approval.

The present market value of this four-bigha plot of land was Tk 60 million (Tk 6 crore). Orders were issued to relinquish the land within three working days of receiving the notice.

Earlier, the administration in 2018 had traced large stretches of khas land in Meghnaghat grabbed by Haji Salim. The upazila administration had issued eviction notices at the time.

All together so far, 15 bighas of khas land has been found under Haji Salim’s occupation in Meghnaghat of Sonargaon upazila.

The upazila officials said that the market value of these 15 bighas which he had unlawfully grabbed is Tk 230.82 million (Tk 23 crore 8 lakh 20 thousand).

In the meantime on Thursday, officials of the local land office, led by the upazila nirbahi officer (UNO) Atiqul Islam, launched a drive to recover the khas land grabbed by Madina Group. Along with the police, they put up signboards on land within the premises of two Madina Group factories, declaring the plots to be government property.

A senior official of the district administration said that it will be difficult for the local administration to entirely recovery all the land occupied by Madina Group because some of this land is located within land actually owned by the group. Factory walls will have to be broken down and then walls rebuilt to demarcate the government-owned property.

As the factories are in operation, an all-out eviction drive will not be possible, the official added.

Speaking about the eviction drive, the Madina Group general manager (land) Mohiuddin Ahmad said, “After receiving directives, we have begun removing our structures from the government-owned land.”

Sonargaon upazila UNO Atiqul Islam confirmed that Madina Group had begun shifting its structures from the khas land.