Handover Khilgaon Shishu Park

HC asks Ansar and Village Defence Party

The High Court yesterday directed the Ansar and Village Defence Party (VDP) to handover possession of Khilgaon Shishu Park to Dhaka North City Corporation within three months.

The Ansar-VDP camp encroached Khilgaon Shishu Park on two acres of land in the capital’s Khilgaon since 1987.

The HC bench also directed the authorities concerned of the government to establish a modern Shishupark on the land in the next one year after evacuating the Ansar-VDP camp from the area. After disposing two separate writ petitions, the HC bench comprising Justice Sheikh Hassan Arif and Justice Md Badruzzaman yesterday came up with the verdict.

Among the two writ petitions, one filed by Ansar-VDP challenging the legality of cancelling lease of the land by the government in 1996—the other filed by Bangladesh Environmental Lawyers’ Association (BELA) to restore possession of the land with the Shishu Park from the encroachers.

In 2008 BELA filed the public interest litigation writ petition challenging the legality of reoccupying the land by the Ansar-VDP during the army-led caretaker government in 2007 although the lease was cancelled in 2004.

BELA also challenged the legality of the government failure to protect the Shishu Park at block-B in Khilgaon area from encroachment. After the HC verdict, BELA’s lawyer Advocate Syeda Rizwana Hasan told reports that Ansar and VDP have been occupying the land of Shishupark for many years.

She also said that in its verdict the High Court observed that occupying such a public land is contradictory to the law and constitution of the country.

Attorney general Mahbubey Alam defended the Ansar-VDP while Syed Rizwana Hasan appeared for BELA.

The land was allotted to the Ansar to build a women's hostel there in 1987 by the then president Lt Gen (retd) HM Ershad but in the face of protests by the local people he declared that the land would be used as children's park.

In 1996, the then caretaker government of Justice Habibur Rahman also directed the officials concerned to make it a children's park cancelling the allotment to the Ansar. But, Ansar-VDP forces took control of the land and used it. Residents of Khilgaon in the city in several times demanded recovery the playground from the grip of Ansar and VDP forces who took control of the land since long.

Handover Khilgaon Shishu Park

HC asks Ansar and Village Defence Party

The High Court yesterday directed the Ansar and Village Defence Party (VDP) to handover possession of Khilgaon Shishu Park to Dhaka North City Corporation within three months. The Ansar-VDP camp encroached Khilgaon Shishu Park on two acres of land in the capitals Khilgaon since 1987. The HC bench also directed the authorities concerned of the government to establish a modern Shishupark on the land in the next one year after evacuating the Ansar-VDP camp from the area. After disposing two separate writ petitions, the HC bench comprising Justice Sheikh Hassan Arif and Justice Md Badruzzaman yesterday came up with the verdict. Among the two writ petitions, one filed by Ansar-VDP challenging the legality of cancelling lease of the land by the government in 1996the other filed by Bangladesh Environmental Lawyers Association (BELA) to restore possession of the land with the Shishu Park from the encroachers. In 2008 BELA filed the public interest litigation writ petition challenging the legality of reoccupying the land by the Ansar-VDP during the army-led caretaker government in 2007 although the lease was cancelled in 2004. BELA also challenged the legality of the government failure to protect the Shishu Park at block-B in Khilgaon area from encroachment. After the HC verdict, BELAs lawyer Advocate Syeda Rizwana Hasan told reports that Ansar and VDP have been occupying the land of Shishupark for many years. She also said that in its verdict the High Court observed that occupying such a public land is contradictory to the law and constitution of the country. Attorney general Mahbubey Alam defended the Ansar-VDP while Syed Rizwana Hasan appeared for BELA. The land was allotted to the Ansar to build a womens hostel there in 1987 by the then president Lt Gen (retd) HM Ershad but in the face of protests by the local people he declared that the land would be used as childrens park. In 1996, the then caretaker government of Justice Habibur Rahman also directed the officials concerned to make it a childrens park cancelling the allotment to the Ansar. But, Ansar-VDP forces took control of the land and used it. Residents of Khilgaon in the city in several times demanded recovery the playground from the grip of Ansar and VDP forces who took control of the land since long.