In the latest spate of land grabbing, one MA Khaleque has taken possession of a part of the lake and the road too, claiming that he owns the 5-katha land there.

On a visit to the site in Friday afternoon, this correspondent found Khaleque along with his men was raising a boundary fence encroaching far into the lake and a makeshift house on the south side of the road.

Khaleque said that he along with his other relations have bought the land from one Azizul Haq following derequisition of the land.

"Rajuk (Rajdhani Unnayan Kartripakkha) has asked us to demarcate the land and build a makeshift house so that they can easily issue the land use clearance," he said.

"Mortgaging the land we have taken loan from Phoenix Leasing Company Limited, which too has asked us to demarcate the land. We have taken possession of the land to show it to both Rajuk and the leasing company."

But a highly placed source at Rajuk said that derequisition does not authorise one to grab water body or destroy environment.

One has to obtain clearance from the Department of Environment (DoE) under Environment Conservation Act and also as per Bangladesh National Building Code. Finally, one has to obtain the land use clearance from the Rajuk.

Rajuk's land use clearance must be preceded by the clearance from the DoE, he said.

"No Rajuk official is supposed to advise an applicant to demarcate a piece of land without clearances from other agencies," he said. "This is tantamount to law violation."

Chief Town Planner of Rajuk Zahurul Haq, when asked about Rajuk's instruction to demarcate the land in the lake, said: "The claim is blatantly false."

Issuing land use clearances particularly in the lake area is out of question, he said.

The signboard Khaleque has raised at the site reads that he has filed an application (no-5775) to Rajuk for clearance.

According to Rajuk officials, many gangs of counterfeiters who issue forged clearances have mushroomed in the city. Officials of Rajuk have recently held some counterfeiters from Gulshan.

The Wetland Protection Act of 2000 provides for protection of canals, wetlands, flood retention ponds and basins earmarked in the Dhaka Metropolitan Development Plan (DMDP) and in metropolis areas.

MA Khaleque said he has taken possession of the 'land on the lake' as per survey and layout of the land office of deputy commissioner, Dhaka.

"Usually, ownership of a wetland and lake is claimed producing a so-called original owner," said a Rajuk official.

Five to seven years back, large areas of lake and wetland were grabbed by influential people in this manner by a law that would allow derequisition of land.

But that particular provision is no longer in effect, he said.

A well-organised syndicate of land grabbers in connivance with government officials have long been active in the business of capturing valuable lands exploiting loopholes of derequisition, said theRajuk official.

The syndicate resorts to various illegal means to manage derequisition and transfer of land to some private owner.

Advocate Syeda Rizwana Hasan of Bangladesh Environmental Lawyers Association (Bela) said, "A well-organised syndicate of influential land grabbers in connivance with some government officials is active in grabbing expensive land in the city."

According to a gazette notification of 1999, government derequisitioned 0.66 acres of land in favour of one Azizul Haq on November 11 the same year.

Documents obtained by The Daily Star show that Azizul Haq sold his land to seven to eight persons just 11 days later at Gulshan sub-registrar's office.

As per documents, Azizul Haq sold 0.0825 acres or five kathas of land to one Md Khalil Shikdar of Jatrabari, Demra on November 23, 1999.

On the same date, Haq sold another five kathas of land to three brothers named Md Wahidul Islam, Hamidul Islam Talukder and Md Azharul Islam Talukdar of Louhajong under Munshiganj district.

Haq sold another three kathas of land on the same date and under the same CS marks to one Md Nasir Uddin Ahmed and one Mohsina Bipasha Alam of Louhajong.

He sold another five Kathas of land on the same date to one Jesmin Shikdar. One Farida Nasir too bought land from Haq.

Now, Khaleque claims he purchased seven kathas of land from Azizul Haq at Tk 5 lakh on the same date. Khaleque claimed that Khalil Shikdar is his nephew.