Construction of installation by occupying the land of Forest Department in Patuakhali, Bangladesh
An installation is being constructed at Mahipur in Kalapara of Patuakhali by occupying the forest department’s land. The casting of RCC (Reinforced Concrete Construction) pillars of Messrs in A. R. Fish Warehouse has already been completed.
The Beat Officer of Mahipur Range has made a General Diary (GD) at the police station, and written applications have also been made to the District Forest Officer and the Divisional Forest Officer to retrieve the forest’s land department. Even then, it continues to build installations at the site of the Forest Department, although occupier Russell Akon claims he has taken the DCR (Duplicate Carbon Receipt) of the land.
The Forest Department claimed that under the Kuakata Bit Office of Mahipur Range in Kalapara, Md. Russell Akon, Mosa Rahima, Monira Begum, and Sohag Akon took over and built a fish farm called “AR Fish” and a tea shop.
At present, the owners of the AR Fish have started the construction work of the RCC (Reinforced Concrete Construction) casting in the occupied area. When the Mahipur Forest Department workers obstructed the occupation of the land, they were threatened and intimidated. General Diary (GD) filed with Mahipur police station, and Abul Kalam Isha, Bit Officer, Mahipur Range sheds light on all matters.
Officer Abul Kalam Isha said in the General Diary (GD) that the occupying AR Fish owners have been notified to vacate 16 decimal of the forest department’s land on September 30, 2020. But the occupiers did not remove the illegal installations.
Even within the boundaries under construction, construction of a concrete structure has now started along the river banks. The Upazila Nirbahi Officer, Upazila Assistant Commissioner (Land), Officer-in-Charge of Mahipur Police Station, and District Forest Officer have been informed about the occupation.
Locals claim that the installation has been built by occupying government property before. If the Forest Department does not take concerted action to evict the land now. In that case, government property will continue to be occupied because the Forest Department alone can’t recover this land.
When asked about this, Russell Akon, the owner of AR Fish, said that he has been doing business with DCR on this land for a long time. They have built installations on the land taken by DCR.
Now the Forest Department is claiming the land as theirs. Jagatbandhu Mandal, Assistant Commissioner (Land), Kalapara Upazila, said, “It is being investigated that the landowner is the Land Administration or Forest Department.
