RANGPUR, Dec 25: A vast tract of railway land in Saidpur upazila of Nilphamari district has remained occupied by influential people for long.
Sources alleged that thousands of illegal structures have been built on the grabbed railway lands in different areas in Saidpur and a section of the land grabbers are engaged in selling such land illegally.
Around 325 acres of railway land worth over Tk 270 crore in Saidpur are under illegal occupation and those are mostly being used for commercial purposes, sources alleged.
According to sources, Bangladesh's largest workshop was built during the British period. The historic railway workshop was established in 1870 on 110 hectares of land. The workshop comprises 22 shops.
Later, a railway station was established here in 1930 in addition to the workshop here. Subsequently, Saidpur town became well-known as the railway city and gained much popularity.
During that time the railway station began to play a vital role in the economy of the region. Saidpur was known as the business corridor of eight districts including Rangpur and Dinajpur for transport.
But gradually, a large area of valuable land of the railway went under illegal occupation. Presently, the railway has a total of 875 acres of land in Saidpur upazila, of which, some 325 acres are illegally occupied and used as agricultural land and houses and commercial plots.
The land which is still in illegal occupation in different areas of Saidpur include Rosulpur, Golahat, Atiar Colony, Islambag, Shahebpara, Bashbari, Munshipara and officers' colony.
Railway authorities sometimes launch drives to remove illegal structures and free the land from the grabbers but on many occasions the drives are stopped midway owing to alleged political pressure, it is alleged.
Requesting anonymity a number of grabbers in Saidpur municipality area said that they purchased the railway lands for commercial use and built structures on it in order to run business there.
Some occupants said that they sold the possession of railway land after leasing it from the railway authority.
It is learnt that hundreds of illegal structures have been built on railway land for running business and such construction is still going on but railway officials concerned are reportedly not taking any action against the illegal structures due to reasons unknown.
Sources alleged, a large portion of railway land is occupied by Saidpur municipality as well and the municipality authorities have allowed occupants to erect high-rise buildings and markets there.
Sources said a good number of people have reoccupied most of the railway lands in Saidpur municipality and constructed building structures on it again in collusion with a section of influential people.
Assistant Executive Engineering in charge, Railway Saidpur office sources said the authorities concerned have conducted eviction drives many times against illegal structures on railway lands. The eviction team demolished several hundred illegal shops, business centres and houses built on railway lands in recent years, sources added.
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