Help recover school land
Primary kids demand as Asaduzzaman Noor passes by school
Around two hundred students of Joichondi Government Primary School at Sonarai union of Nilphamari Sadar upazila yesterday stood on the way of Cultural Affairs Minister Asaduzzaman Noor and sought his interference to recover their school land from an influential grabber.
The minister, also the local lawmaker, was going to attend a meeting in another place after addressing a roadside meeting near their school around 11:30am.
As Noor smilingly came near them, the kids complained that they cannot play or loiter happily as a man occupied most of the school field, encircled it with corrugated iron sheets and his men asked them not to go near the area.
The students accompanied by a few teachers requested him to take step to recover the land.
The minister assured them that he will sit with both the parties on October 2 and try his best to solve the problem.
“Sonarai union BNP president Nurul Islam illegally occupied 30 decimals of school land three months ago with the blessing of his elder brother Abdul Mannan Mannu, president of the same union unit of ruling Awami League (AL),” Sankar Kumar Roy, president of the school management committee, told journalists,
Kazi Ziaul Huque, headmaster of the school, said, “After investigation, the upazila administration ordered the occupier to vacate the land but the latter ignored it, even manhandled our two female teachers.”
At the same spot, sexagenarian Bhaggodhar Roy of Joichondi village and his wife also sought the minister's help to recover their 49 decimals of land allegedly occupied by the union AL president's youngest brother Abdul Hakim, an ex-leader of Chhatra League.
Abdul Mazid Shah, president of No 8 ward unit of AL in Sonarai union, said the union AL president's brothers are forcibly occupying others' land with his consent, tarnishing the party's image.
Contacted, union AL President Abdul Mannan Mannu refuted the allegation of forcibly occupying lands by his brothers and said, “We bought the properties from genuine owners. We will abide by the court orders as the issues are now under trial for settlement.”