Railway land under illegal occupation in Lalmonirhat
Building of unauthorised structures, sale of 'possession' continues
Over a thousand illegal structures have already been built on grabbed railway lands in different areas of the district while a section of occupiers are illegally selling 'possession' of such lands.
About 500 acres of railway lands worth about Tk 500 crore in the district are under illegal occupation and those are mostly being used on commercial basis, said sources at Lalmonirhat railway's estate office.
"I used two bighas of railway land for ten years after leasing it from the railway authority. Six months ago, I sold its possession for Tk 2 lakh," said Nazrul Islam, at Fulgachh village in Lalmonirhat Sadar upazila.
Abdus Sattar, a trader at Futani Bazar in the town, said he purchased one decimal of railway land for commercial use for Tk 50 thousand from Manik Miah in the area a year ago and built a structure on it for running a business there.
"I sold the possession of railway land after leasing it from the railway authority," Manik Miah said.
Over a hundred illegal structures have been built on railway lands for running business at Futani Bazar and work continues to build many other structures on the railway lands, local trader Meher Ali said, adding that railway officials concerned are not taking any action against the illegal structures due to unknown reasons.
"Alleged railway land grabbers are running business and selling and buying of possession of railway land has become a regular matter here," said Azgor Ali, a local on Station Road in Hatibandha upazila.
Seeking anonymity, a railway estate official in Lalmonirhat said railway authorities concerned are conducting drives against illegal structures on railway lands in different districts but there is no such drive at its divisional headquarters in Lalmonirhat due to invisible pressure by political leaders.
None was given lease for using railway land on commercial basis, especially at Futani Bazar in the town, said Mohammad Ohidunnabi, divisional estate officer of Lalmonirhat Railway Division.
Estate officials are ready to conduct drives to free occupied railway lands and demolish illegal structures there soon, he said.