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Influential people grab government land
1,320 acres of land under illegal occupation in Pabna
Our Correspondent . Pabna

Nearly 1,320 acres of the government land under nine upazilas in Pabna have gone under illegal occupation of influential people.
   Under the rules, the government land popularly known as ‘khas’ land should be distributed among the landless people. But in most cases people not belonging to the landless category managed to get allotment of these land because of their loyalty to the party in power.
   Officials of the local land department and the local administration also favour these undeserving people for the allotment of the government land due to their close connection with the top political leaders of the party or parties in power. As a result, most of the landless people deserving allocation of the government land are deprived of this facility, locals said.
   Of the government land now under illegal occupation in the district, according to official sources, 220 acres are under Chatmohar, 215 acres under Bhangura, 40 acres under Sujanagar, 52 acres under Faridpur, 180 acres under Santhia, 125 acres under Ishwardi, 72 acres under Atgharia and 110 acres each under Bera and sadar upazilas.
   About 11,046 acres of land were identified as the government land under nine upazilas of the district. Of these land, little over 9,580 acres have been leased out and the remaining 1,320 acres have gone under illegal occupation of the influential people.
   Talking to New Age, some landless people said the government should launch a drive to recover the government land from illegal occupation and distribute them among the landless poor.
   Nearly 35 per cent of the total population of this district are landless, according to official record.

Tk 4.50 lakh oils seized
from Dinajpur border
Bangladesh Sangbad Sangstha . Rangpur

Members of the Bangladesh Rifles seized imported oils worth over Tk 4.50 lakh before being smuggled out to India from Chirirbandar border in Dinajpur early Saturday.
   Tipped off, a special BDR patrol team raided a bordering jungle near Amtali Bazar in the district Friday midnight. Conducting extensive searches, the BDR members recovered 42 barrels containing 3,300 litres of kerosene, 370 litres of diesel and 4,415 litres of palm oil from the jungle. However, the smugglers managed to escape the scene.
   The smugglers stockpiled the oils in the jungle near the zero line area for smuggling out to India at a convenient time.
   BDR deposited the seized oils with the Dinajpur customs authorities Saturday afternoon and filed a case in this connection with the Chirirbandar police.
   Earlier, BDR members of the same battalion seized 52 barrels of diesel and kerosene worth Tk 5.30 lakh from the nearby Ambari border last week foiling another attempt of smugglers, the sources said.
   BDR sources said some organised syndicates were engaged in smuggling out valuable petroleum substances through the Chirirbandar border for quite a long time.

Bauphal BNP faction accuses
party MP of corruption
Our Correspondent . Barisal

A faction of the Bauphal BNP on Saturday blasted Shahidul Alam Talukdar, BNP lawmaker of Bauphal in Patuakhali, for his alleged corruption, nepotism, misuse of power, and repression on the people of all strata.
   More than two hundred leaders of the Bauphal BNP and its front organisations raised the allegations at a press conference at the Barisal Press Club. The leaders said that they had to arrange the conference in Barisal on security grounds.
   Chaired by Patuakhali district BNP vice-president Mahtabuddin Sikder, the meeting was addressed, among others, by Manirul Hasan, former joint secretary of the Bauphal upazila BNP, Abdul Malek, upazila BNP joint secretary, Anisur Rahman, central Zia Parishad president, Daliluddin Molla, Kashipur union BNP leader, Basiruddin Ahmed, Adabaria union BNP secretary, Kayes Mahmud, former secretary of upazila Juba Dal, Faruk Hossain, former vice-president of upazila Juba Dal and Advocate Rafiqul Islam, central joint secretary of the Jatiyatabadi Ainjibi Forum.
   Speakers said the lawmaker was accused in a number of criminal cases including robbery and murder, but the cases had been withdrawn after the BNP came to power in 2001.
   They also alleged that the lawmaker amassed enormous wealth by collecting toll from religious, social welfare, and educational institutions. Not only the common people, but also the journalists, teachers, and even his party men were physically assaulted by him, they alleged.
   Brushing aside all the allegations Shahidul, while talking to New Age, said his political opponents were behind such conspiracies.

Nor’wester claims one
United News of Bangladesh . Dinajpur

A woman was killed and five were injured as a nor’wester lashed Dinajpur Saturday morning.
   Locals said the storm swept Khansama, Biral and Kaharol upazilas, damaging mango, litchi and standing crops on vast tracts of land.
   Anjuara Begum, 35, of village Noton under Birganj upazila was killed as a wall collapsed on her during the storm. The injured were taken to hospital. The storm also razed about 30 houses to the ground at the village.

Schoolgirl rescued, three held
Our Correspondent . Comilla

The police rescued a schoolgirl from village Bhoshokopalia under the Laksam municipal area in Comilla on Saturday night. The police also arrested three persons on charge of abducting the girl.
   The girl is Rehana Akhter, 15, a student of class VII of a local school.
   Locals said brother of the girl filed an abduction case with the police after she had been disappeared on Thursday. In the case he accused his brother-in-law Anwar Hossain, 22.
   The police arrested Anwar from his house at Gazimura in the Laksam municipal area and rescued the girl from the spot. The police also arrested his two associates Md Sumon, 22, and Md Mohosin, 20, of the same area.
   Another sources, however, said Rehana had an affair of love with Anwar and as her family arranged her marriage with another person she left the house with Anwar.

Robber arrested
Our Correspondent . Gazipur

The police arrested a notorious robber from the Konabari area under Gazipur sadar upazila on Saturday afternoon.
   Police sources said tipped off, a police team raided a house at Konabari and rounded up Santi Babu, 35, an inhabitant of the area.
   He is wanted in at least five criminal cases including robbery and extortion with the police, the sources added.

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