There were hardly any houses or trees on some pockets of the vast land acquired for proposed Purbachal Model Town. But crores of taka was allegedly embezzled in the name ol paying off compensation for "immovable property," reports UNB.

A government investigation into the alleged irregularities in disbursing compensation revealed that a group of unscrupulous surveyors in connivance with some corrupt officials misappropriated a huge amount of money by showing houses and trees on the barren lands.

The surveyors fraudulently showed trees and houses on barren lands and even in ponds, and awarded about Tk 90 crore as compensation for immovable property, according to an enquiry committee report.

The Land Ministry formed the committee at the directive of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina to detect corruption, following a report by an official of Narayanganj district administration.

The five-member committee, headed by a joint-secretary, detected massive corruption in awarding compensation to some "affected people."

The disbursement of compensation was stopped on January 27. 1998.

Surprisingly, the Land Ministry recently issued a directive for resuming the disbursement. excluding four small portions of the land, where the committee detected irregularities.

The committee carried out the investigation on only these four small portions (14.55 acres) of the total acquired land of 6,153.77 acres.

A source in the ministry said the government would suffer a huge loss if it pays off the compensatory money on the plea of implementing the project "without any aelay."

The committee in its report

remarked that investigation on the total acquired land needs more time and more manpower.

The land (6.153.77 acres) covering parts of Narayanganj and Gazipur districts (about 4,433.30 acres in N'ganj) was acquired in 1993 to build a model town.

The government allocated about Tk 240.66 crore to pay off compensation for land, houses and trees to the affected people, and also to meet administrative cost for Narayanganj portion of the project.

It handed over the land along with immovable property to RAJUK in January 1997 to develop the project and directed the concerned authorities to pay off the compensation. Some 22.21 per cent of the compensation or about Tk 53.64 crore have already been paid off.

But. the disbursement was stopped after Land Acquisition Officer (LAO) of Narayanganj, Shamsul Islam, detected huge irregularities in fixing compensation for houses and trees on the acquired land.

Following a note from the district land office, the ministry constituted the enquiry committee headed by Joint Secretary Mirza Md Al Farooq.

In a random sampling, the committee found that compensatory money was paid off for trees on a piece of land where there was a pond.

The concerned surveyors also awarded compensation to ■ the affected people for houses on lands, where there was no house or any such establishment.

Earlier, detecting such corruption. 12 surveyors were transferred. Transfer was the only punishment for such massive corruption, the sources said.

There was something very fishy about the enquiry committee itself. Firstly, it submitted its report much before the stipulated time (April 30. 1990).’

During its month-long inquiry, it' carried out the investigation on small pieces of land on four dates in June-July 1998.

The report said the enquiry was hampered due to rainy season and that it would have been better to go for investigation during dry season.

However, the committee investigating 10.91 acres of land under Kamta Mouja, found that there were five owners of the land. But 11 different people own trees on the same land. They on the basis of deed on a 50-taka stamp claimed compensation for trees.

The surveyors fixed compensation for trees at more than Tk four crore.

The report said the land was acquired in 1993-94, but compensation for trees was awarded to different persons in 1996. Awarding ownership of trees of an acquired land was in gross violation of the existing laws, it said.

Moreover, the committee in its report mentioned that in no way the existing trees on the acquired land could be worth more than Tk 75 lakh.

On another piece of land (0.34 acres) under Porshi Mouja. the enquiry team found that the whole land was under water and there was no sign of any tree or house. But as per the report of the surveyors over Tk two lakh was paid lor trees and houses to an "affected person."

The committee also,iftiultid'‘ that the land was Sold t BegUW‘ Rubina. wife of a-surveyor, who" was involved in the land survey, by its original owner and she received the compensatory money.

In another enquiry on 2.67 acres of land under Kamta Mouja. local people told the committee they did not see any house on this land at any time. But. over Tk 40 lakh was withdrawn for trees and over Tk 33 lakh taken away as compensation for houses.