Chandpur land price soars unusually centring university

Costs of land earmarked for Chandpur Science and Expertise College began going up unusually as quickly because the plan for the establishment was tabled.

After the college obtained approval in 2020, the costs soared by practically 20 occasions inside only a yr.

But, the authorities involved expressed curiosity in buying it at such an astronomically excessive value. The native administration estimated Tk553 crore for getting 62 acres of land for the college – at Tk4.32 lakh per decimal.

Such an inflated land pricing got here to the district deputy commissioner’s consideration and the DC knowledgeable the land ministry of it.

The ministry requested DC Anjona Khan Majlish to kind a committee to look into land pricing and see if there have been any anomalies.

A 13-member committee, shaped by the DC in October 2021, discovered proof of fixing land costs unusually excessive. In 2019, per decimal of land within the area was solely Tk24,000, which jumped to over Tk4 lakh in 2021. Even land adjoining to the college website now prices round Tk1 lakh per decimal.

Primarily based on the committee’s report, the deputy commissioner re-estimated the land worth at Tk193 crore, together with all prices, thus saving a lack of Tk359 crore. The brand new pricing estimate is now awaiting approval on the land ministry.

Chandpur DC Anjona Khan Majlish mentioned within the report that land house owners deliberately hiked land costs by at the least 20 occasions “with the connivance of an influential quarter”.

The deputy commissioner additionally noticed that irregular pricing of land would have harm native individuals too if it had been authorised by the ministry.

Mofizul Islam, who was sub-registrar at Chandpur Sadar upazila throughout fixing of the land value and now a district registrar of Sunamganj, mentioned he had no thought in regards to the concern. 

Muhammad Salehuddin, further secretary (acquisition), informed TBS that they’ve acquired the report from the DC workplace in Chandpur. 

“We are going to maintain a gathering to discover a method to resolve the matter quickly. We are going to take motion if we discover any irregularities,” he mentioned. 

Nasir Uddin Ahmed, president of Chandpur district Awami League, mentioned, “The positioning choice was incorrect. The river erosion can vanish the campus any time because it was solely 400 ft away from the riverside.”

The pricing for land acquisition was very excessive in contrast with the present mouza fee within the area, he additionally mentioned, including that these accountable must be punished. 

Vice-Chancellor of Chandpur Science and Expertise College Professor Nasim Akhtar informed TBS that he heard the complexities in land acquisition. “I’m not concerned with the method because the district administration is answerable for this,” he mentioned.

On 9 September 2020, the Chandpur Science and Expertise College invoice was handed within the Jatiya Sangsad.

Later, the schooling ministry gave administrative approval for land acquisition and the positioning was chosen, which additionally secured the ministry’s permission.

On 4 Might 2021, the district land acquisition committee determined to amass land.