Influential as well as poor local residents are stripping the over 2,374 year-old ancient city in Bogra, known as Pundranagar in history, off invaluable bricks and throwing up houses encroaching a major chunk of its protected land in parody of a ban.

Many people are also cutting away mud from Mathura point of the old city that served as the provincial capital of mighty Maurya, Gupta, Pal and other rulers because of the authorities' indifference, they allege.

Influential people sell the ancient bricks at cut prices and workers employed by the buyers openly carry them in rickshaw-vans are a common scene at the ancient city, locals allege.

"There is no initiative on part of the authorities to protect the ancient treasures," a resident alleged, adding," About 800 acres of the site has already fallen to occupiers' hands."

Some encroachers and brick collectors said they were using the property left uncared-for years, while others claimed ownership of parts of the ancient city.

Officials of the Archaeological Department in Rajshahi said most lands of the site were owned by individuals who used their property at will without considering its harmful effects on the heritage.

"They are causing serious harm to the ancient site through indiscriminate use of their property," an official said, requesting anonymity.

Mahasthan Garh, perched on the western bank of the Korotoa river, was pegged as the oldest settlement in Bangladesh until the recent excavation of part of a 2,450-year-old civilisation in Narsingdi that formed the eastern fringe of Mauryan Empire.

Historians say Mahasthan Garh was an affluent city with a perimeter of nine kilometres and thrived side by side with the landmark civilisations of Athens, Babylon, Egypt and Assyria.