It took 42 years, but they’re finally out!
Way back in 1960, Bangladesh Small and Cottage Industries Corporation (BSCIC) bought 162 decimals of land from an Indian private company in Nolgola area of Old Dhaka, on the banks of Buriganga near Mitford Hospital.
The corporation ran offices and warehouses there till 1977, when it was rented out to 33 entrepreneurs on a monthly basis.
But over time, the leaseholders stopped paying rent and started staying there by force. BSCIC issued its first eviction notice for them on March 16, 1983, but to no avail.
Despite repeated attempts since then, BSCIC could never evict the illegal occupiers, who kept going to court, seeking permanent ban on the notice, saying that they wish to buy the land, now roughly worth Tk 300 crore.
After 42 years of back and forth, BSCIC finally succeeded in reclaiming the land on January 2.
"We got the High Court verdict in March last year, but the leaseholders delayed their exit by applying for a temporary ban on the decision," said Akter Hossain Didar, law officer at BSCIC. "Finally on November last year, the court denied their application."
He said BSCIC had formed a 16-member committee, led by the director of industries development Mohammad Jakir Hossain, to deal with the matter. The committee jointly held an eviction drive, along with the executive magistrate and AC (land) of Dhaka, from December 30 to January 2.
These correspondents went to the spot on Saturday and found that the land was being cleared of the remnants of the occupiers' establishments.
Md Rashedur Rahman, deputy general manager (planning) of BSCIC, said they are planning to build a multipurpose complex there.
Meanwhile, an official of BSCIC, wishing anonymity, said some of their staffers may have been involved to prolong the saga.
CHRONOLOGY OF DISPUTE
After getting the first notice to vacate the area in 1983, the leaseholders -- Nolgola BSCIC Warehouse Owners' Association -- filed a case with the fifth sub-judge court, seeking permanent ban on the notice, because they wished to buy the land.
Thirteen years later, the case was shifted to the Money Lending Court, before it was moved back to the previous court in 2000.
The court dismissed the case in 2000, but the occupiers then made an appeal to the HC, which accepted it, but the occupiers sent the title suit to a lower court for a fresh hearing on September 17, 2013. After another eight years, they again urged for a temporary ban on BSCIC's notice on March 15 last year.
The court issued a show-cause notice. After BSCIC replied, the court dismissed the occupiers' application, leading to BSCIC getting the land back.
Contacted, the association's general secretary Kamrul Hossain admitted that they took the land as lease from BSCIC but continued business defying the notice.
"We really did wish to buy the land," he said. "Yes, we stayed there by force, but the law was on their [BSCIC] side."
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