Lawmaker the 'land-gobbler'
A digger operates to fill up the Buriganga at Waaspur on the outskirts of the capital. The poles sticking out of the water are markers up to which the river would be occupied. Two private electricity companies are filling up this portion of the river to install two power plants and build an amusement park. Photo: Anisur RahmanTwo private power companies are indiscriminately filling up a khas (govt-owned) water body and private land by the Buriganga river forcing the local people to sell their land to the companies-- all in the name of setting up two power plants and an amusement park.
Land owners in Looterchar and Waaspur across the Buriganga are too terrified to complain about the matter. They said Awami League lawmaker from Dhaka-4 constituency Mohammad Aslamul Haque is chairman of the two companies that are implementing the project.
"We were first told that we have to sell our land to facilitate setting up power plants in national interest," said a local land owner asking not to be named. "But we became suspicious as they [companies] started filling up low-lying land one after another not even bothering to ask the owners."
The local people also alleged that part of the Buriganga has also been grabbed by the companies-- Dhaka West Power Ltd and CLC Power Company Ltd. Besides, they have filled up the mouth of what remained of Atir Khal, a canal that used to connect Buriganga with vast areas of Keraniganj.
The huge water body on the northern side of the project site, which retains water round the year and greatly helps irrigation for farming, has been demarcated with bamboo poles for filling up. Part of the water body has already been filled up with dredging spoils from the project.
"They (companies) started filling up the area and then asked us to see them with land deeds," said a local man with 10 kathas of land. "They offered me Tk 4 lakh for each katha but when I went to take the money, a dalal [middleman] of the company deducted 20 percent from the payment."
When this correspondent contacted the companies' office at Dhanmondi, General Manager Anwar Hossain said they require 45 acres of land in the area to set up two power plants and an amusement park.
"The local people have enthusiastically offered their land for the project of such national interest, we have not grabbed an inch there," said Anwar. "The water body that we demarcated is not khas, we are trying to buy it from the local people."
He also said, "The power plants are expected to be connected to the national grid by June next year."
Asked, Aslamul Haque said his companies have bought land at fair price from the owners who have willingly come forward to sell that for this national project.
"It is not true that we shall set up an amusement park, and it is out of the question that we have demarcated the water body or khas land on the northern side [of the project]. We do not need any khas land," said the ruling party lawmaker, contradicting what his companies' general manager said.
"Bangladesh Inland Water Transport Authority has issued us a certificate mentioning that we have not grabbed any part of the Buriganga. And we are soon obtaining environmental clearance certificate from the Department of Environment (DoE)," Aslamul said.
Mohammad Shajahan, DoE director (technical) and convenor of the Environmental Clearance Committee, told The Daily Star that since power plants are categorised in the red, his office has scrutinised the companies' application and asked them to produce all land documents and clearances from BIWTA and the deputy commissioner's office.
"We have asked them to provide the certificate mentioning that the river or any wetland has not been filled up for the project," Shahjahan added.
In February this year, a DoE enforcement team filed a case against Aslamul with Keraniganj Police Station accusing him of starting a project for power plant without environmental clearance, filling up and polluting the Buriganga.
DoE sources said they had also seized four bulldozers from the site and put a ban on the project work. Later, the companies procured a certificate from BIWTA which cleared them of occupying the river.
"On the basis of the BIWTA certificate, the companies restarted the work although the ban has not been lifted yet," said a DoE enforcement official.
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