They have recently filled up a big part of the lake along the road and erected concrete and makeshift structures without any approval from the Rajdhani Unnayan Kartripakkha.

"These land claimants fill up the lake at night. They are building concrete houses to establish their possession," said a resident of road-2.

A good many signboards declare ownership of land at the site. The land claimants include Monwara Begum and Ahmed Hossain, who occupy 2.35 acres of land. Two advocates, Ayesha Khatun and Rezaul Karim, claim another eight kathas.

Ayesha Khatun, a lawyer at Dhaka Judge Court, said she and Rezaul Karim own the eight-katha plot and they have taken possession of it. Asked how they own the plot which was created by filling up the lake, she could not reply.

But advocate Rezaul Karim, who practise at the High Court, said he alone owns an eight-katha plot there by derequisition of LA case 10. He claimed that he had bought the land from the 'previous owner' at its present state.

"I have not filled up the lake," he said.

Abdul Jalil Mridha, professor AKM Anwarullah, Dr Shamsun Nahar and Mainul Islam claim 15 kathas of land showing various court orders. Tanha Holdings Limited claims 140 kathas or 6.99 acres of land while Fazlul Hoque and Montaz Hoque claim 82 decimals, and Saiful Halim claims a plot of 20 square feet.

Locals said even a year ago there were no such settlements at the site.

On a visit to the site yesterday, this correspondent found the entire stretch of the lake bank occupied with fresh earth-filling and under-construction structures behind a boundary fence of iron sheet. The lake grabbers were dumping earth into the lake.

All the representatives and caretakers employed by the lake grabbers were found very secretive in their behaviour. Most of them declined to say anything about their job.

A number of workers, known to have been employed by Ayesha Khatun, identified themselves as masons but they said they do not know who is the owner of the land.

One Badal identified himself as a security guard employed by Abdul Jalil Mridha but refused to give any contact of his employer.

According to sources, a magistrate of Rajuk is backing the grabbers in occupying the lake. As some of his relations are involved with the grabbing, he once asked the Rajuk officials to go soft on the grabbers.

Rajuk has so far filed a general diary with Gulshan police in this connection.

Architect Iqbal Habib of Bangladesh Paribesh Andolon (Bapa) said: "Land grabbers have grabbed parts of the Gulshan-Banani-Baridhara Lake with at least three to four layers infringing upon the lake's periphery set by Rajuk."

According to highly placed sources at Rajuk, the layout of the Gulshan-Banani-Baridhara Lake, approved by the High Court, is seriously flawed.

The HC asked for a freshly drawn updated map of the lake but the town-planning department of Rajuk produced a super-imposed map based on 1996 drawings with an ulterior motive to legalise hundreds of plots created illegally encroaching on the lake.

The HC approved layout is not a strong instrument to protect the lake, said Director of Bangladesh Environmental Lawyers' Association (Bela) Syeda Rizwana Hasan.

She said: "A well-organised syndicate of influential land grabbers in connivance with some government officials is active in grabbing expensive land across the city."

Chairman of Rajuk KAM Haroon said, "We will go for eviction drive from tomorrow (Wednesday) to demolish illegal settlements encroaching upon lake and occupying the lake bank in Gulshan and Banani areas."