Nothing can stop land grabbers

Land grabbers continue to fill up the century-old pond at Barisal Police Line defying all objections. Right, trucks bring earth for the purpose at dead of night.Photo: STAR

Encroachers continued filling up Police Line Pukur, a century-old pond in the city, ignoring final notice and summon of the Department of Environment (DoE).
The accused, Abdul Aziz Sardar and his associates, were directed to physically appear before the DoE head office by 11:00am on August 12 with related documents for showing cause why earth filling of that pond would not be declared illegal and compensations against that would not be realised, said Munir Chowdhury, director (monitoring and enforcement) of DoE.
"But the grabbers not only abstained from appearing at the DoE office, but continued filling the pond. And so, the deputy commissioner of Barisal would be asked to take legal action against the grabbers," the official said.
Earlier on July 16 and 23, two notices were issued to stop earth filling of the pond immediately. The DoE issued final summon notice on August 9 under Bangladesh Environment Preservation Act as the accused land grabber and his associates continued their mischievous act, said Sukumar Biswas, director of DoE Barisal office.
Bangladesh Environment Lawyers Association (BELA) Barisal district unit also lodged a case on July 18 with Senior Assistant Judge's Court in Barisal against filling of historic Police Line Pond and the judge fixed next date of hearing of the case on September 13.
Advocate Suvash Chandra Bipro Bedanti, convener of Barisal Environment Network, also former district coordinator of BELA, said Nirad Ranjan Guha, owner of 71 decimal lands on plot No 3744 under Bogura-Alekanda Mouza in the area, dug that pond on about 50 decimal of land more than hundred years ago for using as drinking water source by the local residents.
The owner of the land left the country in 1956 and the government acquired the land, pond and building and established District Police Club there and so the pond became familiar as the Police Club Pukur and listed in 'Kha-list' of vested property, said Dipak Chakraborty, assistant union land officer.
But Daliluddin Sardar, owner of the neighbouring land, later claimed the ownership of the pond.
Aziz Sardar and Shahin Sardar, sons of late Daliluddin Sardar, creating bamboo fencing started sand filling and piling of the part of that pond on July 13 claiming that they owned 7-ana (7/16) portion of the pond and there was no law against filling of private ponds.
The director of DoE Barisal office, however, said no objection certificates from the DoE, land, and city corporation offices are needed for filling any water body, be it public or private.
Tarikul Islam, superintending engineer of Barisal City Corporation, said the corporation has nothing to do against filling of any private water body.