As if rules do not apply to it
In a step of blatant violation of relevant rules, a multi-storey office building of the ruling Awami League is being constructed on the bank of the Chhoto Jamuna in Dinajpur.
Officials and locals said once the structure is erected, it will obstruct the normal flow of the river if its water level goes high.
Surprisingly, the local administration is unaware of the building's construction, which began a month ago.
According to the office of Assistant Commissioner (land), around 38 decimals of land is located inside the Chhoto Jamuna flowing through the middle of Phulbari municipality area.
As per the RS and BS records, the land does not belong to the Water Development Board, said WDB officials in Dinajpur.
The land falls under the "Ka" category schedule, which the WDB has no scope to interfere in, said Rakibul Hasan, executive engineer of WDB in the district.
But the officials warned that if the building is erected it will impede the river water from flowing.
Officials at AC (land) in Phulbari said Haidar Ali Shah, the then president of the upazila AL unit, applied on behalf of the party to the land office to allocate a piece of land in 2020.
Haidar Ali died recently, said party leaders.
In response to the appeal, the land office leased six decimals of land to AL last year, which is located at 120/457 Daag of Gouripur Mouza in Phulbari upazila, according to the land record book.
As the leased land is under the "Ka" category schedule, the deputy commissioner's office is its ultimate authority, said land officials.
According to the lease condition, AL is not allowed to construct a permanent structure but rather a temporary one on the land, said AC (land) Shamima Akhtar.
On the other hand, the ruling party is defying an official rule of the Roads and Highways Department, the owning authority of a bridge over the Chhoto Jamuna next to the under-construction building.
According to the rule, any establishment should be at least 30 feet away from any permanent structure of RHD. However, the AL office building is in very close proximity to the bridge that was constructed nearly 50 years ago.
When asked if any action was taken against such defiance, Md Kamrul Hasan Sarkar, deputy divisional engineer of RHD in Dinajpur, said, "We will issue a letter in this regard."
Ashraful Alam, organising secretary of Phulbari upazila Awami League, who oversees the construction work, said they got six decimals of land last year and the office is being built on 3.5 decimals.
He said the leased land is not inside the river.
The AL leader claimed that the building will not obstruct the water flow as they kept space for this. They are following all the rules properly, he added.
During a recent visit to the spot, this correspondent found the structure rising just beneath the bridge and there is no required gap between the two.
The building area stretches around 30 feet to the river from the bank. The work of basement pillars was almost done.
Locals alleged that several multi-storey buildings have been built near the river ignoring official rules.
Phulbari Upazila Nirbahi Officer Riaz Uddin said he did not know about the matter until this correspondent contacted him.
"Construction of a three-storey building on the spot is a clear violation of the order, said the UNO. Legal actions will be taken against it," he said.
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