Bangladesh Economic Zones Authority (BEZA) has got approval of the Prime Minister's Office (PMO) to rehabilitate a total of 518 families living in the areas of Mirsharai Economic Zone and Sonadia Ecotourism Park.
The families will be relocated to a newly developed residential area with all required facilities and utility services. The rehabilitation will cost a total of Tk 300 million, according to BEZA sources.
The BEZA has so far acquired 33,450 acres of khas land and 4,719 acres of private land for developing 21 economic zones (EZs). Another 30,000 acres of land is under process of acquisition.
Of the total land acquired so far and to be acquired, 30,000 acres are in Mirsharai and 10,000 acres in Sonadia.
Talking to the FE, BEZA Executive Chairman Paban Chowdhury said the authority has already started the process after getting the rehabilitation plan approved recently.
He said that initially the BEZA will focus on rehabilitation of families in the areas of Mirsharai, Sonadia and Jamalpur EZs.
"BEZA will bear the expenditures relating to resettlement of the families from its own coffer," he said.
Of the families, some 316 are currently living in Sonadia and 202 in Mirsharai economic zone areas.
The BEZA has already selected sites for resettlement of the families in the areas, Mr Chowdhury said, adding that the plan has been prepared to relocate the families to a better living place.
Mr Chowdhury said the authority also started plantation of 2.0 million trees in different EZs.
He said 'Green EZs' will be established as per direction of the Prime Minister considering the environment aspects.
The BEZA has set the target to establish 100 EZs in 30,000 hectors of land by 2030.
On the way to acquisition of land, many families will be displaced from their houses. BEZA will acquire around 30,000 acres of land in Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Shilpa Nagar, comprising Mirsharai, Shitakunda and Shonagazi areas.
It has a plan to generate employment for 1.5 million people within next 15 years and ensure $15 billion exports from the zones.
Official sources said many of the people were living illegally in the area. They said that it is a challenge for the authority to acquire land through eviction of the people illegally living in the areas.
However, they said local people were extending their cooperation to BEZA as they were observing the development activities.
Khondaker Golam Moazzem, research director of the Center for Policy Dialogue (CPD), said BEZA should have long term financing plan for the local people as their living sources may get affected with the development work.
"The environment aspect is another important issue the authority should consider in the way of developing the Sonadia Park," he said.
It has been found that local residents in many areas of Bangladesh do not have proper documents in their inherited land, he said.
In that case, they might face trouble to claim compensation from the BEZA's acquired land, he added.
As per the resettlement plan, there will be two-story building, mosque, school, clinic, community center, playing ground and tube wells for every ten houses.
A total of 30 acres of land will be needed for implementing the resettlement plan for Sonadia, Mirsharai and Jamalpur EZs.
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