Chittagong Port Authority recovers 52 acres of land in Laldiarchar area
Our Correspondent | Tuesday, 2 March 2021
Chittagong Port Authority (CPA) recovered a total of 52 acres of its land by evicting more than 14,000 people in Laldiarchar area of Patenga in the port city on Monday.
Starting at 9:00 am, the eviction drive that involved six magistrates was continuing till the filing of this report as of 5:00 pm.
Alongside, CPA also took a move to install a barbed wire fence on the recovered land.
CPA Chairman Rear Admiral M Shahjahan said, "We encouraged the people to leave the CPA land which was illegally occupied by them. People who had been living on the 52 acres of land since 1972 wanted time to leave."
"Finally, illegal occupiers left the area, and CPA recovered its 52 acres of land in the Laldiarchar area."
He said, "CPA will install barbed wire fence at the recovered land and engage Ansar members for ensuring the security of the land."
Alamgir Hossen, the convener of Eviction Resistance Committee at Laldiarchar, said, "The government gave the land (Laldiarchar) to us after taking our land for Chattogram Airport in 1972. We had paid taxes of land and lived there since then."
"But, suddenly CPA evicted 2,300 families from the area. Now, around 14,000 people are being homeless due to the eviction," he said, adding, "We demand rehabilitation of the people immediately."
It may be mentioned that the court earlier directed the authorities concerned to evict the illegal occupiers from the 52 acres of land in Laldiarchar area.
CPA held a meeting on February 27 last and served the notice of eviction to the people who were living there, and finally, conducted the eviction drive on Monday.