HC stays auction process for selling Thakurgaon JTC’s land

Staff Reporter :
The High Court on Monday stayed for six months the auction process of selling a land owned by ‘Jute Purchasing Centre’ under Jute Trading Corporation (JTC) at Shibganj in Thakurgaon Sadar upazila.

The High Court Bench of Justice Md Nazrul Islam Talukder and Justice Khizir Hayat passed the order after hearing a writ petition filed by Advocate Abdus Samad.

The HC Bench also issued a rule upon the concerned bodies of the government to explain as to why the auction process for selling the land at a nominal price should not be declared illegal.

Jute Secretary and other respondents have been asked to comply with the rule within four weeks.

Lawyer Bivuti Tarofder appeared in the court proceedings for the petitioner, while Deputy Attorney General Saifuddin Khaled represented the state.

Recently a report has been published in a daily under the banner “Jute Purchasing Centre’s land being sold at a nominal price : allegation raised against officials”. The writ petition was filed annexing the newspaper report.

According to the published report, “An allegation has been raised that a process is continuing to transfer 54 decimal land of Jute Purchasing Centre of Jute Trading Corporation (JTC) at Shibganj in Thakurgaon Sadar upazila at a nominal price.

Currently, the estimated market value of that land is Tk 30 million. However, it was found to be transferred for Tk 3.17 million.

Even after making the matter known, the concerned authorities were not seen to take any action to protect the land.”