Land Minister Saifuzzaman Chowdhury has directed to release 14.0046 acres of land in Kalabagan area of the capital. He also directed to start the process of releasing the lands currently in the possession of individuals out of another 2.8654 acres of land. About 16 acres of land acquired / directed for acquisition in Kalabagan but recorded or held in the name of the person will be released soon in favor of the previous owner.
The land minister gave this instruction at an inter-ministerial meeting held at the meeting room of the Land Ministry to resolve the complexities of the land acquired by Dhanmondi mouza on Wednesday. Land Secretary Md Mostafizur Rahman was present at the time.
The Land Minister said at the time, the current government is the government of the people. This government is committed to safeguarding the just rights or interests of the people. Considering the public interest, the complexities related to Khasmahal which were unresolved for a long time have been resolved today.
Saifuzzaman Chowdhury instructed the concerned officials to ensure that the obstruction process is completed in a transparent manner and that the touts and brokers do not inflict any kind of harassment.
Due to legal complications, the owners of these lands or their heirs have not been able to reject or transfer the rent of the land for 60 years. As a result, they were unable to use their land resources formally or economically. The release will end their long suffering.
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The landowners appealed to the Prime Minister through a local MP in 2018 to resolve the land issue. The matter was raised in the cabinet in the context of the Prime Minister's directive. In order to resolve the issue, the Cabinet directed the Ministry of Lands to take action as per law in consultation with the concerned departments.
In view of this, a meeting was held on March 1, 2021 under the chairmanship of Land Secretary Md. Mostafizur Rahman PAA and a four-member committee was formed to resolve the issue.
In the inter-ministerial meeting held today, after reviewing the report of the committee, detailed observation of Dhaka Deputy Commissioner and opinion of other agencies, the land minister decided to release the above 14.0047 acres of land recorded and occupied in the name of the person in favor of the previous owner.
Besides, the land minister also directed to release the remaining land out of the 2.654 acres of land recorded in the name of the Ministry of Public Works in the city survey, except for the part occupied by the public works department.
Also present at the meeting were Additional Secretary (Acquisition) Muhammad Salehuddin, Director of Land Records and Survey Department (Land Records) Muhammad Wahiduzzaman, Joint Secretary of Housing and Public Works Ministry Shawkat Hossain, Deputy Commissioner of Dhaka Md. Shahidul Islam and officials of Ministry of Land and Public Works Department.
