Rejoinder, our reply

General Manager (Admin and Corp.) of CLC Power Company Ltd Mohammad Anwar Hossain, on behalf of the company's Managing Director and member of parliament (MP) Aslamul Haq contested a news item published in this paper on October 5 under the headline “Lawmaker the 'Land-gobbler” and said the news item was based on unfounded information.
The rejoinder said, “with a view to setting up power plants, the companies started acquiring land through purchase from the people of the locality through negotiation.” The process of acquiring land is almost at its last stage. In order to ensure that the companies do not encroach upon any khas land or river area, the companies demarcated river boundary through BIWTA and the office of the Deputy Commissioner, Dhaka. The companies have never put pressure upon any person nor have they frightened any one for selling land in their favour. No incident of taking commission from anyone also took place. Rather the management acquired the land by providing more than the value determined by the government. The managements of the companies are trying to acquire some more land than what is necessary for two power plants. It may be pointed here that the land which we are purchasing is the paternal property of Anwar Hossain, chairman of Vakurta union, and “no project has been chosen yet to implement in that area (Amusement Park).
The photograph that accompanied the news surprised us. The management denies the “veracity” of the photograph. It is quite clear, why such news item, of a power development project bearing a national interest, has been published. The chairman and the managing director of the companies is an honourable member of parliament and respectful towards the law and order of the country. Being jealous of his popularity, some people might have made false accusations against him.”
Our Reply
The site selection for the companies' projects was never done with the consent of the land owners there or approval of the Department of Environment (DoE), BIWTA or the Office of the Deputy Commissioner. One fine morning, multiple dredgers were deployed and the low-lying land there and the Atir Khal were filled up within the shortest period of time. The companies then asked the land owners to come with their deeds to sell the land to “the power projects bearing national interest”. The MP's name played the key role in “acquiring” land for the two private companies owned and managed by the lawmaker himself.
Government's valuation of land in an area is always much lower than the market price. Hence, many land owners who lost their land to the power projects feel grossly deprived of a fair price.
The management of the company is now trying to buy the khas water body next to their project.
The companies have not obtained the environmental clearance from the Department of Environment (DoE). In February this year when the DoE filed a case against Aslamul Haq with the Keraniganj Police Station, only then did the companies move to take a clearance certificate from the BIWTA. We stand by our report.