Krishi Bank in trouble to realise Tk 31cr loan

Realising of Tk 31 crore loan by the Bangladesh Krishi Bank (BKB) from the lessees of a number of rubber and horticulture plots in Bandarban has become uncertain, as the government has cancelled the lease of the land.
The government has turned the land into Khas land (government land) and the regional office of BKB informed the Bandarban deputy commissioner of this through a letter last week.
The letter said that realising the money of the BKB deposited by the people would become impossible if the leases of the plots were cancelled without taking any alternative steps.
Meanwhile in a reply to the letter for reconsidering the decision of canceling the lease, the district administration said the problem was created by the BKB itself.
The district administration alleged that the BKB is trying to hide its faults by accusing others.
It also alleged that the opportunist loan receivers have taken the loan without cultivating the lands because of the negligence of the officials concerned of the BKB.
When asked, Adviser to Bangladesh Rubber Malik Samity (BRMS) Kazi Shahdat Hossain said there is a standing committee headed by the divisional commissioner of Chittagong regarding rubber cultivation. There is also an investigation cell under the committee.
He claimed that any investigation carried out bypassing the committee will not be legal.
Shahdat alleged that the district administration has ignored the investigation cell of the district's standing committee in taking actions, which will seriously affect the industry.
He demanded reconsideration of the district administration's decision.
According to the district administration, it leased out 50,000 acres of land to create horticulture and rubber gardens.
Though the influential people took leases and enjoyed all types of facilities including bank loan, collecting and selling forest resources, and transit permits, they did not cultivate rubber.
Against this backdrop, the parliamentary standing committee on the Ministry of Chittagong Hill Tracts Affairs recently decided to cancel all the leases of land, which was left uncultivated.
Accordingly, Bandarban district administration took steps to cancel lease orders of 800 plots, and already sent final notice to cancel leases given to 324 persons.
But the BKB authorities are concerned about the matter, as many of the loan recipients are in the list of those whose leases were cancelled.
BKB Bandarban Branch Manager Mohammad Ruhul Amin said the bank has invested more than Tk 25 crore and including interests the amount stands at Tk 31 crore.
He said it will be difficult to realise the money if the lease of the plots is cancelled.
Bandarban Deputy Commissioner Mizanur Rahman told The Daily Star that the bank should have provided the loans on the basis of field visit.
“Now the bank authorities have to take the responsibility,” he said.
An official at the BKB said some of the lessees have even got write-off interests on the grounds of increased production cost, burning of garden, destruction by elephant attacks.
Former adviser to the caretaker government Maj Gen (retd) MA Matin, his family members, Bangladesh's former permanent representative to the UN late Humayun Kabir, former secretary Asaf Ud Dowla, Prof Abdullah Abu Sayeed, Bandarban's former DC Abdul Haque, Prof Rakhal Acharya, Dhaka University Prof late Mofazzal Haque, Col (retd) Bazlul Haque, Maj (retd) Abdul Mannan, Bandarban's former civil surgeon Dr Faiz and Dr Z Alam are on the list of the total 324 lessees whose leases have been cancelled.