Housing and Works Minister Mohammad Nasim announced Ju the Jatiya Sangsad yesterday, that "necessary steps" would be taken in consultation with the Cantonment Board to recover the land Opposition leader Khaleda Zia had "encroached" adjacent to her cantonment residence in the city.

“I was surprised to know, after taking over the works ministry. that the Ershad government handed over the possession of two houses -- one preserved for the army chief in the Dhaka Cantonment and another abandoned house at the Gulshan Model Town -- at a nominal cost of Tk 1001 only to Khaleda Zia and her two sons --Tarek and Arafat." Nasim said and added public property worth crores of taka were thus misused.

There is no rule to allocate

any house in the restricted area of cantonment to h private citi-

Tbs. ho.usc-

the army enter. was given to Khaleda Zia violating all rules and regulations." the minister told the House during the question-answer session.

The official residences of the president, the prime minister and the army chief are public property and law does not permit allocation of those to any person, he noted.

"General Ershad gifted Khaleda Zia the two houses in 1882 when we were on the street fighting the general s rule." he said.

Accusing Khaleda Zia of encroaching a piece of land adjacent to her cantonment house and spending Tk 82.000 illegally from the public exchequer to decorate the house, the min-

ister said. "If you (the MPs) want, the illegal occupant (Khaleda) will be evicted to recover the public land. Insha Allah.~

He also blasted the Opposition leader saying "the claimant of being a people's leader has been keeping the people hostage for three consecutive days (by calling hartals) in the name of (welfare of) people."

On the contrary. Nasim said, prime minister Sheikh Hasina has sacrificed her paternal house at Dhanmondi for public cause and is also planning to donate her house at Tunglpara.