Committed to PEOPLE'S RIGHT TO KNOW
Vol. 4 Num 213 Wed. December 31, 2003  
   
National


Tussle over an abandoned house in Ctg


Two organisations, one for the disabled and the other for women, had a tussle over occupation of an abandoned house here on Monday.

The trouble began when the Chittagong Society for the Disabled (CSD) organised a training programme for the disabled in three rooms of the house on MM Ali Road at Dampara under Kotwali thana.

On information, members of the Chittagong unit of Jatiya Mohila Sangstha (JMS), which claimed itself to be a leasee, rushed there and drove out 25 disabled persons from the house which resulted in stoppage of the training programme.

They also 'damaged property worth Tk 10,000, it was claimed.

Chairperson of the Sangstha Dr Quamrunnahar Dastogir, wife of the Chittagong city unit BNP General Secretary Dostogir Chowdhury was also present at that time.

However, the CSD General Secretary, Salim Nazrul, told The Daily Star that they organised the training programme at the consent of Chittagong DC who happens to be their chief patron.

He claimed that they had been pursuing to get lease of the house since June last year.

Meanwhile, JMS in a press statement alleged that a vested quarter occupied the abandoned house with an ulterior motive.

A case was filed, they informed.

Signatories to the statement were: Dr Quamrunnahar Dostogir, Advocate Perveen Akter Chowdhury, Nilufer Momen, Rawnak Jahan and Gultaj Begum.

On contact, Quamrunnahar Dostogir told this correspondent that a process of lease of the house was under process.

'But a vested quarter led by Mahfuz attempted to grab the house,' she alleged.

Earlier, the house was used as Officers' Club.