COX’S BAZAR — The Cox’s Bazar zilla parishad has accused a former Awami League upazila president and his son of seizing council land worth crores of taka in Kutubdia and building shops on it, officials said.
The accusations are against Ahmed Ullah, former president of the Awami League’s Kutubdia upazila unit, and his son Azizul Haque Sagar. The site is in the Bindapara Community Center area of Koyarbil union in Kutubdia.
They occupied the government property after the Awami League came to power, council officials said. Shops were built on the land and rented out. Because of this, the Cox’s Bazar zilla parishad has been unable to collect revenue from the property for the past 18 years.
The zilla parishad has repeatedly demanded the land be vacated, but instead the accused have filed false complaints against parishad officials with various government departments, officials said.
According to council sources, the zilla parishad owns 3 acres and 80 decimals of land at the BS plots 7110, 7211, 7212 and 7214 of BS khatian No. 8 in North Dhurung mouza of Koyarbil union, Kutubdia upazila. The parishad has leased out portions of the land and deposited revenue in the government treasury.
Most of the land has been in Ahmed Ullah’s control for the past 18 years. His son Azizul Haque Sagar currently manages it.
A site visit found six tin-roofed brick shops built on parishad land along the road next to the Bindapara Community Center, about four kilometers from Kutubdia upazila headquarters. The shops have been rented out for large advance payments. Sagar collects monthly rent from the tenants. Behind the seized land is a large pond owned by the parishad, which has also been seized.
Local residents said Ullah and his son have used political muscle to keep the land seized. After the fall of the Awami League government, the parishad leased the pond out. But the lessee has been unable to farm fish there because of the family’s influence, and has been threatened with assault, residents said.
Mohammad Al Maruf, chief executive officer of the Cox’s Bazar zilla parishad, told Jugantor: “We have already sought the help of the district administration to free the parishad’s land from illegal occupation. I hope that, with the cooperation of the district and upazila administrations, the land will be freed through eviction soon.”
বাংলায় মূল প্রতিবেদন পড়ুন · Read the original Bengali report