The land mistakenly remained under the control of the railway authorities, and a section of railway employees allowed private use of it by individuals for their personal gains, port sources said.

The Ministry of Port and Shipping recently asked the secretary of the Ministry of Communications to arrange immediate handover of ownership of the land to the CPA.

The move followed an investigation by the district administration to ascertain ownership of the land, located around the port market and railway academy, for which the CPA and the railway authorities were locked in a long tussle.

Railway estate department officials allegedly involved in the mischief could not be contacted for comments.

CPA Chairman Shahadat Hossain said, " When we regain the land, we can go for expansion of the port."

The CPA recently recovered 22 acres of land located near the port road from the railway. The land is now earmarked for rehabilitation of people to be evicted from the site of New Mooring Container Terminal Project near the port.

A port official said the CPA has so far recovered about 70 acres of land from the railway and private land grabbers while over 200 acres more are yet under illegal occupation.