Costly govt lands allocated at throwaway prices

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Massive corruption, nepotism and malpractice marked the allocation of costly land to set up CNG filling stations during the rule of immediate past BNP-led alliance government.

The then minister for communications Nazmul Huda and state minister Salahuddin Ahmed who are now behind bars, distributed the government lands in the capital and suburbs at throwaway prices among the ‘favourites’ including a former state minister, a few former lawmakers, and the relatives and henchmen of BNP leaders.

Although there was a selection committee comprising representatives from the communications ministry, Dhaka City Corporation (DCC), Dhaka Wasa, Dhaka Metropolitan Police and the office of the deputy commissioner of Dhaka for scrutinising the applications for plots, the committee hardly sat for a meeting, said a committee member.

The then communications minister and his deputy played the decisive role and made the plot allocation keeping the committee members in the dark, the committee sources said.

The then estate officer of DCC Fazluzzoha was on the committee but he never attended any meeting of that committee, he told The Daily Star.

When asked why he did not attend any meeting, Zoha, who is now private secretary to DCC Mayor Sadeque Hossain Khoka, said, “I cannot remember, probably because no meeting of that committee was held.”

Influential people related to Hawa Bhaban, which many described as the ‘alternative power centre’, also played a leading role in the allocation of the plots and distributing them among the partymen.

After getting the allotment, some of them sold the lands to others for handsome amounts. Other allottees kept the land under their possession but did not set up fuelling stations or make regular payment against the allotment. However, the allotments were not cancelled allegedly due to the allottees’ links with the ruling party.

The present caretaker government has taken an initiative to investigate the allegation of allocating lands of Roads and Highways and Bangladesh Railway for refuelling stations and other commercial purposes without following rules and regulations, sources said.

A total of 65 plots were allocated from the properties of Roads and Highways and Bangladesh Railway in Dhaka city and its suburbs.

Although the market price of each plot was not less than Tk 5 crore, the government charged only Tk 10 lakh in advance and Tk 15,000 rent per month while some of the allottees had to spend Tk 1 to 5 crore in bribes for getting allotment of a piece of land to set up a refuelling station.

The BNP leaders who got plot allocation for the purpose include former state minister Amanullah Aman, former lawmakers Salahuddin Ahmed, Nasiruddin Ahmed Pintu, Shahiduddin Chowdhury Anny, current JCD President Azizul Bari Helal, former JCD president Shahabuddin Laltu, brother of former prime minister Khaleda Zia Major (retired) Sayeed Iskander and a brother of former works minister Mirza Abbas.

Giasuddin Al Mamun, a business partner of Tarique Rahman, senior joint secretary general of BNP and son of former prime minister Khaleda Zia, also got a plot allotment.

Two cousins of Tarique Rahman — Shahrin Islam Tuhin and Shahriar Haque Don — also got plots to set up refuelling stations.

Mamun neither set up refuelling station on the plot nor paid the required money but his allotment is yet to be cancelled. BNP office secretary Mofiqul Hasan Tripti also got a plot allocation and former lawmaker GM Siraj got one in the name of his wife.

Shahana Siraj, wife of GM Siraj, got allotment of a plot at Mirpur. Shahiduddin Chowdhury Anny, a former president of JCD, got the allotment near Gabtoli bus stand, Shahabuddin Laltu near Amin Bazar while former lawmaker Salahuddin Ahmed got allotment of two plots at Kadamtali and Jurain.

Nasiruddin Ahmed Pintu got allotment in the name of Asha Enterprise at Dholaikhal, Azizul Bari Helal on Dhaka-Aricha highway, Amanullah Aman in the name of Mahim Enterprise and Mashfibul Haque, son of former state minister Ziaul Haque Zia, in the name of Zia Royal Filling Station got allotment on Dhaka-Savar road.

Former lawmaker Monirul Islam and ward commissioner Monwar Hossain Dipjal got allotment near Gabtoli bus stand. A brother of Mirza Abbas got a piece of land for a refuelling station at Asad Gate.

The programme for setting up refuelling stations began in 2002 and continued till the end of the tenure of the BNP-led government.

But as many BNP leaders did not set up refuelling stations even after getting allotment for the purpose, it has led to a long drawn out crisis of fuel supply for the CNG-run vehicles. Long queues of vehicles are often seen at many refuelling stations in the city.

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