Neither the district administration nor the Khagrachhari municipality has taken any effective step to stop the land grabbing as most of the grabbers belong to political parties, sources told this correspondent.

They are building houses, shops and slums as the authorities seldom take any action against encroachment, the sources said.

During a spot survey this correspondent found illegal structures encroaching upon water bodies including Kalabagan lake, Master Para lake, Pankhiyapara lake, Muslim Para canal, Narikel Bagan canal and Golabari canal. Most of the illegal structures sprang up in last five years, locals said.

Khagrachhari Government College Principal Bodhi Sattya Dewan said, administration took some lukewarm initiative to evict grabber from the government land but they are again trying to grab the land.

Investigation by this correspondent revealed that most of the encroachers are leaders of major political parties.

In some of the cases, the encroachers have procured papers showing some sort of 'lease' from the authorities. But the authorities, when contacted, denied having leased the areas.

Kalabagum Lake, the largest lake in the town, has lost its beauty as land grabbers have built structures on all its banks. The lake, once an attractive place for townspeople and tourists for its scenic beauty, is now virtually off-limits to them because of encroachment and pollution.

"We have lost a nice recreation spot", Hasan Mia, a local resident lamented while talking to The Daily Star correspondent.

The municipal authorities took some 'face saving' steps in Shantinagar area in the town by demolishing some illegal structures, leaving those on banks of water bodies untouched.

Some sources alleged that Municipality Chairman Joynal Abedin, being a BNP leader, could not take any effective step as most of the encroachers either belong to the party or enjoy political clout.

There are at least 30 illegal shops on banks of Pankhayapara Lake. The municipality issued notices on the encroachers several months ago, only to be ignored by them, sources said.

The most luxurious hotel in the townZiran-- was built on encroached land along the bank of Chengi river by a former lawmaker of Jatiya Party (Ershed) during their rule.

An influential member of Chittagong Hill Tracts Regional Council also built a house and office complex illegally on the bank of the canal.

As the authorities did not take any step to demolish the massive illegal structures, others are now building slums on Chengi river bank and renting those, locals said.

As the land grabbing continues and water bodies disappearing, the environment is threatened with pollution. As natural outlets are clogged, the areas are flooded almost every year during rainy season causing sufferings to people, environmentalist Nurul Azam said.

Seeking anonymity, a high official of Khagrachhari municipalty said the authorities are helpless as most of the land grabbers are political leaders.

When contacted, Khagrachhari municipality chairman Joynal Abedin said, "I heard about it and some illegal structure have been demolished and others will also be evicted with help of the administration".

"We warned them through announcements yesterday to remove the structures voluntarily, otherwise action will be taken as per law", he said.

Deputy Commissioner Mohammad Shahadat Hossen said, a mobile court has started working and proper action will be taken against the culprits, he said.

Some members of the elite told this correspondent that they expect proper action by the caretaker government to remove the illegal structures and restore beauty of the water bodies.