Char inhabitants want land acquisition list altered

Speakers at a rally, held in protest against a recent land acquisition list prepared by the administration, demanded that it must be made balanced by including adjacent unions of Mymensingh Sadar upazila.
“We’ll not spare even an inch of land if the list is not prepared in a balanced way by involving the four unions of Char Nilaxia, Char Ishwardia, Char Sirta and Khagdahor,” said the speakers while addressing the rally at the Joy Bangla Bazar in Char Sirta union on Friday night.Braving severe cold, people from five of the unions joined the protest in hundreds.
Reiterating their demand for the implementation of the first phase adopted earlier for divisional work, the agitated villagers vowed to launch an intensive movement if their demands were not immediately met. The first phase was scrapped and the new acquisition list was prepared overnight, raising many questions about the haste in which it was done, they said.
The protesters expressed surprise that the administration had drawn up a list of 4,366 acres of land, up from the earlier 1,220 acres, mostly in Char Sirta union, when the government was trying to save farmlands from unplanned human settlements.
Most of the listed land yields different crops and vegetables round the year, they alleged.“We’re asking the administration to implement the first phase covering 1,220 acres for divisional activities,” they told the rally. The proposed acquisition area includes vast tracts of farmland and habitations in Char Anandipur, Char Gobindapur, Char Ishwardia, Char Bhawanipur, Char Durgapur, Char Jelkhana and Char Laxmir Algi in Sadar upazila. Most of the people belonging to these villages were small and marginal farmers and sharecroppers.“We believe in balanced development in the char areas and are ready to assist the administration on the basis of equity,” said locals. They wondered why the administration had targeted densely populated char areas inhabited by about 20,000 families when there were vast empty tracts on both sides of the Brahmaputra River.
“If the administration proceeds with the proposed acquisition list, it’ll spell disaster for both human settlements and agriculture,” they claimed.
“We’ll continue our peaceful movement until our demands are met. If the administration tries to use force to evict us, we’ll resist them to save farmlands and ancestral homesteads,” they warned.
Char people have been agitating for two months under the banner of ‘Basotvhita Rokhha Committee’ to realise their demands.The rally was addressed by Sirta union chairman Saifuddin Ahmed Bakul, committee convener Prof. Syed Mosharraf Hossain, Nadim Mustafa, Shahidul Islam, Maulana Fazlul Haque, Prof. Hadiul Islam Tutul and Badsha Member, among others.Aftab Uddin Ahmed presided over the rally.

 

Char inhabitants want land acquisition list altered

Speakers at a rally, held in protest against a recent land acquisition list prepared by the administration, demanded that it must be made balanced by including adjacent unions of Mymensingh Sadar upazila. Well not spare even an inch of land if the list is not prepared in a balanced way by involving the four unions of Char Nilaxia, Char Ishwardia, Char Sirta and Khagdahor, said the speakers while addressing the rally at the Joy Bangla Bazar in Char Sirta union onFridaynight.Braving severe cold, people from five of the unions joined the protest in hundreds. Reiterating their demand for the implementation of the first phase adopted earlier for divisional work, the agitated villagers vowed to launch an intensive movement if their demands were not immediately met.The first phase was scrapped and the new acquisition list was prepared overnight, raising many questions about the haste in which it was done, they said. The protesters expressed surprise that the administration had drawn up a list of 4,366 acres of land, up from the earlier 1,220 acres, mostly in Char Sirta union, when the government was trying to save farmlands from unplanned human settlements. Most of the listed land yields different crops and vegetables round the year, they alleged.Were asking the administration to implement the first phase covering 1,220 acres for divisional activities, they told the rally. The proposed acquisition area includes vast tracts of farmland and habitations in Char Anandipur, Char Gobindapur, Char Ishwardia, Char Bhawanipur, Char Durgapur, Char Jelkhana and Char Laxmir Algi in Sadar upazila. Most of the people belonging to these villages were small and marginal farmers and sharecroppers.We believe in balanced development in the char areas and are ready to assist the administration on the basis of equity, said locals. They wondered why the administration had targeted densely populated char areas inhabited by about 20,000 families when there were vast empty tracts on both sides of the Brahmaputra River. If the administration proceeds with the proposed acquisition list, itll spell disaster for both human settlements and agriculture, they claimed. Well continue our peaceful movement until our demands are met. If the administration tries to use force to evict us, well resist them to save farmlands and ancestral homesteads, they warned. Char people have been agitating for two months under the banner of Basotvhita Rokhha Committee to realise their demands.The rally was addressed by Sirta union chairman Saifuddin Ahmed Bakul, committee convener Prof. Syed Mosharraf Hossain, Nadim Mustafa, Shahidul Islam, Maulana Fazlul Haque, Prof. Hadiul Islam Tutul and Badsha Member, among others.Aftab Uddin Ahmed presided over the rally.