Rupnagar residents are being deprived of civil amenities, as the plots earmarked for the area's school, college, park, hospital, lake and shopping complex are losing out to an unauthorised 'samabay samity.'

The land-grabbing bid started in 1997-1998, under protection from former lawmaker Kamal Ahmed Majumder, with the connivance of several National Housing Authority (NHA) officials.

To ease the housing problem the NHA took up the Rupnagar project in 1984 on 10,181 acres, which were divided into 1,200 plots of different sizes. Of these plots 31 were kept as commercial in the project profile in order to meet the project expenditure without government funds.

The locals alleged the NHA officials were bribed into doctoring the original plan and handed several commercial plots to the unauthorised association, tagging them as 'institutional plots' in a different document.

"A commercial plot is sold at a much higher rate than a residential one. But Kamal Majumder gave his loyalists the commercial plots at a low price. Those people started illegal construction on the plots," said SM Rafiqul Islam, office secretary of Rupnagar Residential Welfare Association, an organisation of local plot owners.

But an ECNEC decision prohibits the handover of any plot of the project to any organisation.

Worse, Rupnagar Government Housing Estate Cooperative Society, Muktijoddha Rehabilitation Cooperative Society and Sonar Bangla Bohumukhi Samabay Samity are filling the lake in the residential area, for which they have permission from the authorities.

But the lake-filling move goes against the project profile. The lake was kept in the main project profile for proper draining of rainwater and to enhance the beauty of the area.

Meantime, Rupnagar Residential Welfare Association wrote to Prime Minister Khaleda Zia on September 15, 2000, pointing out the violation of original project profile.

The letter was sent to the housing and public works ministry from the Prime Minister's Office. On receipt of the letter, the ministry told the NHA chairman on December 12, 2002 to investigate the alleged irregularities and report back to the ministry in 10 days.

The NHA chairman asked the executive engineer of Mirpur circle on January 7, 2003 to probe the allegations and submit a report in seven days. But no action has yet been taken.

Kamal Majumder, contacted by phone, denied the allegation and said, "If any allegation against me of plot irregularities is proved, I will leave Mirpur area." The former lawmaker also said, "As an MP I cannot do anything but request." But he ducked a question whether he made any request in favour of anybody loyal to him.

Officials of the Samabay Samity could not be contacted for comments. Mohammed Abdul Khaleq, NHA chairman, could not be reached either despite repeated attempts.