Modhumoti plot owners threaten taking own lives as eviction drive looms

Plot owners of the Modhumoti Model Town housing project in Savar have strongly protested the decision by Rajuk to evict them from the site to recover wetlands.

At a press conference organised by Modhumoti Model Town Housing Society at Dhaka Reporters' Unity today (26 December), they said they would be compelled to take their own lives if they are evicted from the project.

Terming Rajuk's move as unjust, they said the decision on eviction was made without compliance with the Supreme Court verdict regarding the project. As a result, nearly 20,000 residents, including children and women, of the housing project are now fearing being displaced, they said.

Delivering the keynote speech, the housing society's Organising Society Sujauddin Ahmed Sujah said the project has 3,500 plot owners, with all the ownerships being valid. 

Nothing relevant was concealed when the Modhumoti Model Town was constructed in 2001 right next to the Dhaka-Aricha highway, he said.

In addition, on the khatiyan or land record, the nature of the project's land was categorised as low-level agricultural land. "It has no mention of any wetland there."

Sujauddin further said that earlier there were no objections from any governmental or private organisations to the project construction, which continued over a long period by the project's entrepreneur Metro Makers and Developers Ltd.

At the same time, during land registry regarding the plot purchases, there were no objections from the sub-registry office either, he added. 

The president of the association, Syed Mosharraf Hossain, claimed that as the heads of the project are affiliated with the BNP and Jamaat-e-Islami, the verdict [by the court] was influenced by the fascist [Awami League] government that went against the project residents. "Despite the filing of an appeal [by the plot owners], the Supreme Court is yet to pronounce a full verdict."

He alleged that the followers of what he called the fascist government are perpetrating their eviction by the Rajuk.

Earlier, in 2005, in response to a writ petition filed by the Bangladesh Environmental Lawyers Association (Bela), the High Court declared the project illegal over allegations of an encroachment of wetlands.

The developer appealed against the HC verdict at the Appellate Division, but lost in 2012. Review petitions against the verdict on appeal were also rejected by the apex court next year.

Rajuk recently decided to undertake an eviction drive at the project site to recover wetlands.

At the press conference today, an adviser to Modhumoti Model Town Housing Society Mohammad Shahidul Bari said the eviction in light of the writ from Bela is an unjust decision.

He claimed that the developer has a beef with Bela, and it has resulted in the decision for their eviction.

He further said there is no set timeframe from the Supreme Court for Rajuk regarding the eviction, and it is Environment Adviser Syeda Rizwana Hasan, who is pushing Rajuk on behalf of Bela.

"We will block the Dhaka-Aricha highway if any attempt is made to evict us," he warned.