Special Correspondent: The land worth about Tk 50 crore acquired by Chittagong Development Authority based on the LA case has been leased by the Karnaphuli Land Office for mysterious reasons to the temporary Old Brijghat Bazar Samity on the south bank of the Karnaphuli River with the connivance of CDA officials.
According to sources, Chittagong Development Authority (CDA) acquired this land based on LA Case No-154/67-68. The land size was 5.10 acres. As some of the land was used for development purposes but several lands remained unused, the then project officer of the CDA managed the Bazar Committee along with the land surveyor and the assistant land officer.
According to sources, the then project officer of the DC road development project was Executive Engineer A. M. N Habibur Rahman, accused in 7/8 ACC cases. Kazi Quader Nawaz was given responsibility for the project a year ago after withdrawing him on the charge of taking monthly salary from the market committee. Kazi Quader Newaz is serving as a “puppet” project officer despite the assignment. In this gap, the executive engineer MN Habibur Rahman, who is accused of corruption, took the position of engineer-in-charge by sharing the honest and unscrupulous chairman. Which is completely illegal. No officer can be promoted or appointed to an acting post if the case is pending in the lower court.
But this tactful officer did not take it tactfully.
A number of CBA officials related to the CDA, who did not want to be named, told The Crime that if the authorities do not take legal action against those involved in the lease, our organization will be forced to seek redress in the court on its own. At the same time, looting by corrupt officials from engineering department has increased alarmingly. The image of CDA is getting tarnished due to their activities. He sought the intervention of concerned authorities and ministries to restore the image.
According to the sources, the then government conveyed the 5.10 acres property to the Chittagong Development Authority by gazette notification on 19/7/1970 of the land acquired in L Case No.-154/67-68. The land leased to the Bazar Committee was acquired by the CDA at that time for constructing a godown for the floating bridge goods.
According to the sources, on the morning of May 10, the judge of Chittagong Development Authority and the newly joined secretary and related parties visited the acquired land on site.
An unnamed CDA official told The Crime, “I don’t understand how Assistant Commissioner (Land) Piyus Kumar Chowdhury leased the land acquired in LA Case No-154/67-68 to the Temporary Market Committee under any rules.” I have no doubt that any official of CDA is actively involved in this work.
A CDA official, who did not wish to be named, told The Crime that CDA’s property officer and the concerned project officer give unwritten permission to set up temporary markets through monthly masoharas from market committees. Which is “open secret” to all the officials in Chittagong Development Authority office.
The source also said that a couple of years ago, a meeting was held with the market committee in the hall room of the CDA. In that meeting, the traders requested and applied to the CDA chairman to rent temporary shops. But the chairman did not respond to their request.
In this regard, the then security officer of CDA, Nashir Ahmed Khan, complained repeatedly to the chairman through letters. But as the authorities did not pay heed to it in time, they completed the lease process in collaboration with the corrupt people of the market committee and CDA. On April 11, Assistant Commissioner (Lands) Piyush Kumar Chowdhury issued a memorandum No-31.00.42.1539.000.02.008.22-564 to the Bazar Committee. Although a month has passed, the Chittagong Development Authority still hasn’t woken up.
A report sent by the Karnaphuli Land Office said that 15.38 percent of the land in the Char Patharghata area is owned by the Chittagong Development Authority. But the Chittagong Development Authority is not paying any land tax on the said land from the year 1383 for about 47 years. The land is not even in possession of the authorities. In the middle some opportunistic people are grabbing some money. The government is losing a lot of revenue every year.
He also mentioned in the market lease letter that the market is held seven days a week in the old Brijghata area of Char Patharghata union of Karnaphuli upazila. The market came to be known as raw market. Since 2008, a dominant group has been running this market without taking a lease. The CDA has been running the business by constructing the establishment. Neither the Chittagong Development Authority nor the Karnaphuli Land Office are getting government revenue from this place. It is also known that the Karnaphuli Land Office is conducting various processes to take over this place.
In this regard, Assistant Commissioner (Lands) Pius Kumar Chowdhury called to take his statement, but he was not available.
Chairman Zahirul Alam Dovas did not receive a call on his mobile phone to get his statement in this regard.
In this regard, Secretary Minhaj Uddin was called on his mobile phone, but he did not receive the call.
CDA Project Officer Kazi Quader Newaz (Tipu) told The Crime that the CDA acquired government property Assistant Commissioner land in no way leased to the market committee.
