The hired men of Shahidullah Talukdar, a resident on Road no-41, obstructed the labourers and Rajuk officials while constructing the road so that the lake cannot be demarcated and "he can continue further encroachment into the lake," said a highly-placed source at Rajuk.

Claiming it a walkway, Rajuk Chief Engineer Emdadul Islam said, "Talukdar's men forcibly obstructed our work."

On a visit to the site, this correspondent found it to be approximately a 100-foot long road.

When contacted, duty officer sub-inspector Taslima of Gulshan police station said that Rajuk authorities did not seek any police back up to continue its work.

"Our assistant engineer has instructed us to postpone the work until next Monday, as the land claimant eyes a negotiation with the Rajuk authority on Monday," said Sajal Roy, a work assistant of Rajuk on duty at the construction site.

Talukdar legally owns a 5-katha plot allotted from the Rajuk, according to Rajuk sources. But over the years he has been consistently encroaching into the lake claiming it to be his own property. Now he occupies around 14 kathas of land.

"Having encroached into the lake, he managed the allotment of the occupied land in connivance with an unscrupulous section of the Rajuk estate department officials," said a high official of Rajuk on condition of anonymity.

"Talukdar even got the allotment of the encroached land at a price far lower than the existing rate of Rajuk for which there has been an audit objection," he said.

Talukdar has built an apartment building at the dead end of Road no-41 on one portion of the land and leased out another portion to a developer, according to Rajuk sources.

When tried to contact Shahidullah Talukdar, a businessman, his son Md Iftekhar said, "My father does not want to talk to the media before Monday next as we will have negotiation with the Rajuk chairman to reach a mutual understanding on the possession of land."

Iftekhar said his father got the allotment of 13.5 kathas of land from the Rajuk in two phases, first 8.5 kathas and then 5 kathas, both in 1986.

He said that his father had built the existing apartment building in 1998 and has been keeping the 5-katha plot on the lake vacant ever since.

When Talukdar was available later, he said that he got the first allotment of 9 kathas. He got another 3 kathas when Rajuk earth-filled the lake to develop a 17.5-katha plot on Road no-43 reducing the width of the 20-foot wide Road no-41.

He said that he has a plan passed by the Rajuk and valid lease deed.

The Rajuk has split the 17.5-katha lands into three plots, Talukdar said. "The latest lessee intends to hand over his 7-katha plot to a developer and the new road will add value to it."

The Rajuk on Friday demolished a boundary wall, raised by Talukdar on the lake, to construct the 100-foot road of 15 feet width connecting a new plot on the lake with the Road no-41.

Rajuk's intention, however, seems murky behind the attempt to construct the road, locals said.