24-acre Pallabi land recovered in drive against illegal structures

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National Housing Authority (NHA) yesterday started bulldozing illegal structures on 24 acres of land at a Wakf Estate in Doaripara in Pallabi, leaving over 5,000 families homeless.

The NHA officials with 500 workers led by three magistrates started demolition of two and three-storey buildings, tin-shed concrete houses and other structures at 10:00am with eight bulldozers. About 550 policemen were on hand to ward off any unwarranted situation.

Many of the house owners were confused to remove their household goods in what they said was a less-than-24-hour notice. Many of them burst into tears seeing helplessly the bulldozers knocking down their houses.

“Where will I go now with my wife and children?” Manik Mian cried out in tremendous frustration. He said it would be tough for them to rent a house in the middle of the month.

Several hundred of the affected families took shelter in a nearby open field with the household goods. They were seen getting prepared to pass the night with women and children in the open.

The affected house owners said they had bought the land — divided in 474 plots measuring 1.5 katha, 2 katha and 2.5 katha — from Faizunnesa Wakf Estate on instalments since 1988.

They claim around 1,000 people, most of them jointly, got ownership documents of the land in 1997.

Officials at the NHA said the government acquired the land in 1971-72 and allocated it in 1993 among 474 public and government officials and employees as per rules. Payments in instalments by many plot owners have already been completed.

A case was pending in the court following a dispute over the plots’ ownership between the NHA and the Wakf Estate. The Appellate Division on January 21 this year gave the verdict in favour of the NHA.

The NHA officials claim they issued notices to the residents on February 6 asking them to remove their property.

However, the affected people rejected the NHA claim and said loudspeaker announcement was made on Wednesday giving them less than 24 hours to shift elsewhere.

Several plot owners yesterday claimed to have obtained a seven-day stay on the demolition work from the High Court following a writ by 493 house owners.

“We showed the High Court stay order to a magistrate at 4:15pm, but the magistrate did not even bother to see it,” said Forkan Ullah, a plot owner.

The officer-in-charge of Pallabi Police Station said the HC issued a rule on the authorities concerned asking for reason why a mosque will be demolished.

He said they would continue the demolition today.

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