Ashraful Islam Joy & Serajul Islam Shishir:

In a gap of just five days of laying foundation stone and signboard of the proposed Jamuna Eco Shishu (children) Park on a disputed property on the western bank of the Jamuna river nearby Sirajganj Crossbar, agitating people from neighboring areas, specially who are claimers of the lands’ ownership, vandalized and damaged the signboard and foundation stone on Monday noon.
Though, the administration claimed that action would be taken against those, who were involved with the vandalizing, tense situation is prevailing among the people, who claimed the ownership of the lands.
Local shopkeepers and witnesses said that, hundreds of people from neighboring areas stormed into the spot and vandalized the signboard and foundation stone. They also chanted slogan saying that we want price of our lands or back of those ownerships.
Earlier on Thursday evening, Deputy Commissioner Muhammad Nazrul Islam laid the foundation stone of the Jamuna Eco Shishu Park on the banks of the Jamuna River adjacent to Malsapara in Sirajganj town.
Executive Engineer of WDB in Sirajganj Md. Mokhlesur Rahman, Additional Deputy Commissioner (General) Ganapati Roy, Upazila Nirbahi Officer Monowar Hossain, District BNP General Secretary Saidur Rahman Bachchu and Anti-Discrimination Student Movement leader Muntasir Mehedi among others were also present at the event.
At the time, the Deputy Commissioner said that, “This Eco Shishu Park will be built as a modern center for entertainment and tourism. There will be various entertainment facilities for the children in the part. There will also be opportunities to stay overnight, hotels, mosques and other modern facilities.”
After the incident, the landowners have directly denied the allegations of vandalism. One of them named Md. Majnu Mian said, the government is going to establish a park there without following any rules and regulations or even without providing us any notice or compensation. We went to the spot to protest the incident. But we did not break the plaque, nor did any of our people break it. We do not know who or what broke it.
Many people on condition of anonymity alleged that, in 2014, in the name of establishing an economic zone on the western bank of the Jamuna River, the Water Development Board and the district administration occupied about 1,082 acres of land in eight mouzas, namely Malsapara, Biara, Nobeltia, Raipur, Puthiabari, Boro Piari Bonbaria, Morgram and Chhoto Piari and filled it with sand after excavating from the Jamuna.
Since then, they have repeatedly approached the administration to regain their lands’ rights or get fair compensation. They have held various programmes including human chains and submitting memorandums to the District Administration. But no effective action has been taken. On the contrary, new projects are being initiated one after another on their ancestral land, which is further provoking their anger.
Majnu also said, “We have been approaching the administration for ten years. Our land was taken away and filled with soil and sand, but we have not received a single taka as compensation. Now a shishu park is being built on that land. This is extremely unfair to us.”
“If this continues, we will have no choice but to take to the streets. A bloody clash can break out at any time and the district administration will be responsible for this,” he added.
Monowar Hossain, UNO of Sirajganj Sadar upazila said, effort to make a settlement over the dispute between the land claimers and administration is going on.
When contacted, Deputy Commissioner (DC) Muhammad Nazrul Islam declined to make any comment in this regard due to his busy schedule.
It is to be mentioned that, the signboard was also restored at the place before evening.