Owners claim their properties legal

Owners of the houses built on the premises of Lalbagh Fort in the capital yesterday claimed that their properties were "not illegal", and therefore, the structures at the archaeological site should not be demolished.
They added that their families had been living there for more than a hundred years, and that they had possessed all legal documents to prove their claims.
On March 19, the Department of Archaeology directed the Deputy Commissioner to demolish any structure inside the boundary of the centuries-old Moghul palace.
At a press conference at the office of the Crime Reporters' Association of Bangladesh in the capital, one of the house owners, Md Abul Hashem, said, "We have always paid government fees for the lands."
He added that land surveys, conducted in the area since 1912, had mentioned the lands as "private property".
Contacted, Dr Ataur Rahman, regional director of the Department of Archaeology, told The Daily Star that the houses built within the fort should be demolished to protect the archaeological site.
"They may have been living on the fort premises for more than a hundred years; but every wrong must be corrected at some point," he said.
He also added that the High Court on October 26, 2011 had directed the government to remove illegal structures in and around the Lalbagh Fort to protect its beauty, nature and archaeological heritage.