Editorial
Hospital land commandeered in Tejgaon
Government must reclaim it for health ministry
Now that an elected government is in office, it is time to expect swift action on some prime plots handed out by the previous BNP-Jamaat alliance government to its loyalists and friends between 2002 and 2006. Originally marked out as a site for a future hospital back in 1973 (and in fact the foundation for the building was laid by then prime minister Sheikh Hasina in 2001), the 25 bighas of land in question were and are the property of the ministry of health. The alliance government simply commandeered 14 bighas of the land and gave them out to its friends and supporters at throwaway prices. Indeed, among those who benefited from such questionable munificence of the then government were some media people only too happy to be part of what came to be known as a media palli loyal to the powers that were.
It was expected, therefore, that once a report on the Tejgaon land was prepared by the health ministry in June last year, the caretaker government would go into action. The report recommended reclaiming the land from those who had acquired it from the alliance government and handing it back to the ministry. Such action was not taken. But now with a new government in office, work must be expedited, in the public interest, in righting the grievous wrong that has been committed. Such action needs to take quite a few factors into consideration. In the first place, the ministry of health must explain why, despite its being allotted the land in 1973, it did not feel any need to prepare the proper legal documents relating to its ownership of the property. In the second, those who through being part of the BNP-Jamaat government sold 14 bighas of the land despite knowing full well that the land was public property must be identified and made to answer for their actions. In the third place, the authorities must move quickly to free these 14 bighas from the occupation of those who have taken it under their possession.
What has been happening around the Tejgaon property is corruption pure and simple. A whole group of people, indeed an entire political administration, connived in depriving the state of land that rightfully belongs to it. We strongly urge that the new government take up the report that is already there and apply all legal and practical means to reclaim the land from those who made use of their connections to occupy big slices of it. There is no room for any second thoughts here.
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