Char people continue stir against proposed land acquisition

Demanding withdrawal of two "false cases" against leaders and activists of the char movement, the "Basatbhita Rokkha Committee" organised a rally at Joybangla Bazar in Mymensingh Sadar upazila on Friday afternoon.

“When we were carrying out a peaceful and justified movement in protest against the ‘motivated and unfair’ acquisition list, we were sued in two false cases lodged with Kotwali police station. The cases were against the char movement activists, accusing them of ‘assault on police’ and ‘obstructing in the performance of government duty’ in February this year,” said one of the leaders.

“If the cases are not withdrawn immediately, we will go for a tougher movement,” he warned.

Hundreds of char people, including women and children, joined the rally as part of their on-going movement to have homesteads and farmlands deleted from the fresh acquisition list. They have been persisting with the movement, led by the "Basatbhita Rokkha Committee", for nearly two years in protest against the "motivated and unfair" acquisition list for development of the new Mymensingh divisional city.

They also said they wanted to live on their century-old ancestral homestead, but persons with vested interests were trying to evict them.

The area of the country’s farmlands is decreasing daily at a time when the government is thinking of saving them for the sake of food security. The protesters ask why, under the circumstances, is the administration still bent on acquiring thousands of acres of land famous for round-the-year agricultural production.

Urging the government to revise the plan and use an "alternate proposal" given by the char people to save farmlands and century-old localities, they said they would continue their non-violent stir till their demands are met.

The char people said the administration had first prepared a list of 1,220-acres of land for divisional development, but the list was later cancelled and a fresh list of 4,366 acres was released to acquire mostly fertile agricultural land.

The proposed acquisition area of 4,366 acres includes vast tracts of farmland and households, they said. “The administration should implement the first list to avoid huge losses,” one of them said.

The char people also said there were some 60,000 people involving 17,000 families and 28,000 households, 475 family graveyards, six public graveyards, 30 government and non-government primary schools, three high schools, 47 mosques, four temples, six eidgah grounds and other establishments in the fresh list.

 

Char people continue stir against proposed land acquisition

Demanding withdrawal of two false cases against leaders and activists of the char movement, the Basatbhita Rokkha Committee organised a rally at Joybangla Bazar in Mymensingh Sadar upazila on Friday afternoon. When we were carrying out a peaceful and justified movement in protest against the motivated and unfair acquisition list, we were sued in two false cases lodged with Kotwali police station. The cases were against the char movement activists, accusing them of assault on police and obstructing in the performance of government duty in February this year, said one of the leaders. If the cases are not withdrawn immediately, we will go for a tougher movement, he warned. Hundreds of char people, including women and children, joined the rally as part of their on-going movement to have homesteads and farmlands deleted from the fresh acquisition list. They have been persisting with the movement, led by the Basatbhita Rokkha Committee, for nearly two years in protest against the motivated and unfair acquisition list for development of the new Mymensingh divisional city. They also said they wanted to live on their century-old ancestral homestead, but persons with vested interests were trying to evict them. The area of the countrys farmlands is decreasing daily at a time when the government is thinking of saving them for the sake of food security. The protesters ask why, under the circumstances, is the administration still bent on acquiring thousands of acres of land famous for round-the-year agricultural production. Urging the government to revise the plan and use an alternate proposal given by the char people to save farmlands and century-old localities, they said they would continue their non-violent stir till their demands are met. The char people said the administration had first prepared a list of 1,220-acres of land for divisional development, but the list was later cancelled and a fresh list of 4,366 acres was released to acquire mostly fertile agricultural land. The proposed acquisition area of 4,366 acres includes vast tracts of farmland and households, they said. The administration should implement the first list to avoid huge losses, one of them said. The char people also said there were some 60,000 people involving 17,000 families and 28,000 households, 475 family graveyards, six public graveyards, 30 government and non-government primary schools, three high schools, 47 mosques, four temples, six eidgah grounds and other establishments in the fresh list.