A parliamentary body yesterday decided to investigate anomalies, if any, in allotment of 30 plots to a number of media firm owners, and BNP loyalists and leaders during the regime of the immediate past BNP government, on around 14 bighas of land in the capital.
The parliamentary standing committee on housing and public works ministry took the decision and asked the public works department to come up with a report in its next meeting detailing the allotments.
Disclosing the decision to journalists after a meeting of the committee in Jatiya Sangsad Bhaban, its chief ABM Fazle Karim Chowdhury said, "We want to see how the health ministry land, which had been earlier allocated for setting up a hospital, was allotted to a number of people."
He said the committee will also examine whether there was any irregularity in the process of allotting the plots.
The immediate past BNP-Jamaat alliance government allotted the plots at Tejgaon industrial area in the capital at a cheap rate of Tk 30 lakh a bigha between 2002 and 2006 while the market price was around Tk 50 lakh to Tk 1 crore a katha.
The allotments drew public attention as most of the plots were allotted to media firms owned or backed by BNP leaders and loyalists. Since then, the area became popularly known as 'BNP Media Palli'.
According to a public works department report, which was placed before the parliamentary committee, the BNP government during its earlier tenure between 1991 and 1996 also allotted 45 plots to individuals while the last AL-led government made only eight such allotments between 1997 and 2000.
Talking to reporters the parliamentary committee chief said they also asked Rajdhani Unnayan Kartipakkha (Rajuk) to take necessary initiatives to stop illegal filling up of wetlands in and around the capital.
PLOT ALLOTTEES
People who got the plots are Shafiq Rehman, former editor of Jai Jai Din Publication Ltd (three bigha), M Enayetur Rahman, International Channel Ltd (owner of nTV) (one bigha), Md Hashmat Ali, managing director, Dainik Amar Desh, (one bigha and 15 katha), Aminul Islam, chairman, Brothers Garments Ltd (one bigha), Md Lutfur Rahman Badal, managing director, Diper Ltd (19.82 katha), Shahid Uddin Chowdhury Anne, BNP lawmaker, BU Chowdhury of Auto Flour Mills (five katha), Nasiruddin Ahmed Pintu, proprietor of Asha Poly and Packaging (five katha), Shah Alam, managing director of M/S Shemtex Ltd (6.23 katha), Jahid Traders (four katha), Tipu Alam, director, Baishakhi Media Ltd/daily Purbabhash (21.5 katha), KM Shahid Ullah, editor and publisher of daily Pathajatra (one bigha), Mohammad Atiq Ullah, managing director, Rupali Sweater (Pvt) Ltd (36.7 katha, and an additional 1.37 katha), former lawmaker Hafiz Ibrahim, publisher, daily Khabar Patra (0.75 bigha), M Shahjad Ali, director, Bangladesh Telecom Ltd (0.79 bigha), Mashfiqul Haque, managing director, Royal Filling Station (11.6 katha), Azam J Chowdhury, managing director, Greenways Industries (BD) Ltd (9.75 katha), Md Giyasuddin Al Mamun, managing director, Channel 1 (17.5 katha), Fasrobe Garments (10 katha), Abdul Haque, chairman, Bangla Vision/Shyamol Bangla Media (17.5 katha), Shaju Hossain, wife of Barrister Mainul Hussein also publisher of Robbar Publications Ltd of daily Ittefaq (12 katha, they took possession of 9.76 katha and want to take back the money for the rest), Umme J Khan, wife of Major General (retd) ZA Khan, Earn Dyeing and Sweater Knitting Ltd of Khan Fashion Chaloman Group (five katha), Begum Tahmina Shawkat, wife of Mir Shawkat, owner, daily Shokaler Khobor, (12.8 katha), Tanvir Islam, director of Focus Fashions Ltd, (21.04 katha), AYM Kamal, managing director, daily Purbabhash (21.5 katha), Jahir Uddin Mahmud, director, Impress Telefilm Ltd (Channel i) (9.5 katha), Hotel Sugandha (3.65 katha), Md Iub Hossain, managing director, Bangladesh Auto Corporation (14 katha), Kazi Izabul Khalid, managing partner of Loma Engineering Ltd (0.75 katha), Pacific Chemicals Ltd of former lawmaker Ali Asgar Lobby (19.44 katha), Md Nabi Soleman, managing director of Dhaka Fibres Industries Ltd (0.97 bigha), M/S City Wears Ltd (3.69 katha), Sony Chocolate Industry Ltd (three katha), Padma Poly Cotton Knit Fabrics Ltd (10.70 katha), Tejgaon Re-rolling Company (7.8 katha), Bangladesh Auto Service Ltd, (10 katha), Aziz and Company Ltd (three katha and nine chhatak), Standard Chemical Industries (3.79 katha), Motijheel Ideal School and College (12 decimal), Hazaribagh Aziz Tannery Ltd (14.83 katha), Protibeshi Samaj Kalyan Parishad of Shahjahanpur area which was the constituency of former housing minister Mirza Abbas (three katha), Purbanchal Bahumukhi Shomobay Samity (1.5 acre).