Ashrafuzzaman blocked the main entrance of the shelter project built on the banks of Hatbowalia Mathabhanga River in Alamdanga Bhangbaria Union with a bamboo fence.
He claims that the road is his personal property and therefore he built the obstacle in the way of shelter project. Due to the sudden closure of the road last Monday morning, 12 families are in dire straits.
All the families living in shelters are landless and scattered. When the shelter project was built, 12 landless and homeless families got shelter. But suddenly 12 family members are suffering due to blocking the road to the shelter. Livelihoods of many are under severe threat. They are afraid of uncertainty and deadlock. They expect quick administrative action to resolve this situation.
Khalilur Rahman, a victim living in the shelter, said, "We are in extreme danger due to the blocking of the road. There are three van drivers among the people living here. Their livelihood is in jeopardy. Due to the fencing on the road, vans cannot move directly on the road. They demand, if at least one van moving space will open it will be enough now."
Van driver Ramzan Ali said, "I drive a van. I have three sons, three daughters and grandchildren.
There is no limit to our pain in encircling the road. Ashraful has surrounded the land on the path of refuge. But his betel leaves garden is next to the shelter. There is special land inside the betel leaves garden. During the construction of the shelter project, the officers said Ashraful that instead of his small plot of land, he would have khas land (within his betel leaves garden) in his possession. Now Ashraful is occupying the road, and Khas land is also occupied."
"I have two daughters and a son," said Khalil, a nut seller. My son drives a van. Due to encircling the road, we are suffering a lot. The boy cannot go out with the van. I used to live in the next place. We have digested many bad names words. I thought I would go to the shelter and live happily. No problem so far. But when Ashraful surrounded the road with Alihim, the laborer of his land, the days of trouble started again."
Ashrafuzzaman said that after the construction of the project in 2023, the then Upazila Nirbahi Officer Noore Alam Noor, Assistant Commissioner (Land) Rezwana Nahid forced the local Awami League leaders to construct the road on my land. Then I protested. Without getting any remedy, I filed a case in court (of which no. 9/23) which is still ongoing.
It is known that during the Awami League government, 12 residential houses were constructed on 24 percent of the government land included in Khatian No 1 on the banks of Hatbowalia Mathabhanga River in Alamdanga under the shelter project. 12 landless-homeless poor families have been living there for 13/14 years.
ZH
