Land grabbers are desperate and must be punished

Among the many problems that plague Bangladesh, illegal land grabbing is among the most sinister. The underprivileged are often the most affected, who see their land grabbed by nefarious individuals. There have been instances of grabbing river banks, chars, forest land and other protected natural areas across the country.
For this, only strengthening of land governance nationwide will help the country overcome the menace in the long run. However, there can be little doubt that the problem begins with the culture of impunity that prevails in our country. Too often, individuals in positions of power do not see any action taken against them for their wrongdoings, thus encouraging them to continue the practice.
A media report published in a national daily on Monday said that over 1.60 lakh individuals and organisations have grabbed 2.57 lakh acres of forest land in the country. The grabbed forest land is in 28 districts. And Cox’s Bazar is the worst affected with 59,471 acres of forest land grabbed. Of the total land, 1.38 lakh acres of reserved forest land was occupied by 88,215 individuals and organizations.
According to the report, the Forest Department on Sunday submitted data containing 5000 pages, along with names of the grabbers, to a meeting of the Parliamentary Standing Committee on the Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate Change. Chief of the parliamentary watchdog Saber Hossain Chowdhury told the media that the JS committee has asked the ministry to make public the names of the grabbers through its website so that people can identify the grabbers and the process of preparing the grabbers’ list becomes transparent.
It is time for the relevant authorities not to turn a blind eye, and instead work towards bringing to book those perpetrators who abuse their positions of power and privilege to illegally grab land. The process of land grabbing is now all- pervasive in the country. Apart from ruling party leaders, powerful neighbours in villages and towns also routinely grab the lands of poorer people.
Consequently, it is quite apparent that land grabbing in contemporary Bangladesh has crossed all limits. These acts cannot go unpunished and legal action must be taken. Needless to say, it is the responsibility of the law enforcers to assure the safety and security of the people and their property.