Illegal pond being filled up as per court directive in Natore

Lalpur local administration have started to fill up a pond which was made illegally on Khas land (government-owned land) in Natore.

Following a court order, the administration has started the work in presence of Natore Additional Deputy Commissioner (revenue) Ashraful Islam on Thursday.

Confirming this news, Lalpur Upazila Nirbahi Officer (UNO) Ummul Banin Duti told The Daily Star, "The court ordered the local police station's officer-in-charge to investigate the incident of digging the pond on khas land and asked for a report on it."

Earlier, a government official and his family dug up the pond after occupying government land in Bilshalia of the upazila. When Natore Judicial Magistrate Md Abu Sayeed came to know of the matter, it ordered for an enquiry and asked for a report.

According to locals and sources at the district administration, Rajshahi's Bagmara UNO Sharif Ahmed and his family occupied the land and dug the pond in front of a bridge for water flow in the area.

Last Tuesday, local farmers formed a human chain protesting the incident and a news was published in a daily newspaper. Seeing the report, Natore judicial magistrate took up the initiative to fill in the pond.

The next day, Additional Deputy Commissioner (revenue) of Natore Ashraful Islam visited the spot and directed the upazila surveyor to identify the khas land and later ordered to fill up the pond.

Lalpur Police Station Officer-in-Charge Fazlur Rahman told The Daily Star locals thanked the judicial magistrate for this.  

When contacted, Bagmara UNO Sharif Ahmed told The Daily Star, "My father has been digging the pond on our own land. There was some khas land, next to our land, in our possession. While my father was digging the pond on that land, some of our relatives complained at different places to humiliate us."

"Later, as per the instruction of Natore additional deputy commissioner (revenue) sir, the excavated portion of the pond has been filled up," he said.