24 families evicted in Barisal

Barisal district administration yesterday demolishes quite a few structures on privately owned lands that were earlier acquired for inclusion into the permanent campus of newly established Barisal University. Photo: STAR

Twenty-four families became homeless yesterday as the district administration evicted them from the land acquired for newly established Barisal University at Karnakathi village under Charkawa union of Barisal Sadar upazila.
A team of Barisal district administration accompanied by a large number of police cordoned Karnakathi village and surrounding areas at about 7:00am and completed the eviction within two hours, demolishing 24 establishments on four acres of land, said Sadikur Rahman, revenue deputy collector, Barisal.
There was an earlier government directive to establish Barisal University on 200 acres of public land on the Kirtonkhola River but later 50 acres of private land with huge movable and immovable properties of 52 families including those of a few freedom fighters was included for the project, said several eviction victims.
The selected lands include three mosques, 13 family graveyards, over 100 ponds and ditches, thousands of trees and 15 acres of waqf land under Babrullah Talukdar Waqf Estate, said Moksed Ahmed Talukdar, motawalli of the estate.
SM Arifur Rahman, deputy commissioner of Barisal, said the private lands were acquired as those are in better places for implementing the Barisal University project.
The university started admission and classes of its first batch of students at its temporary campus on Barisal Zila School on December 8 last year.