Bogura district admin demolishes illegal TMSS structure, recovers river land

Bogura district administration has launched a series of eviction drives to recover nearly 17 acres of land along the Karatoa River that have been allegedly encroached upon by the Thengamara Mohila Sabuj Sangha (TMSS), a local non-governmental organisation.

The administration says the TMSS has illegally altered the river's natural course, constructed structures on government land, and contributed to environmental degradation.

On Tuesday, district administration recovered approximately 10 acres of illegally occupied land from the TMSS.

The NGO held a press conference at its Momo-Inn Hotel yesterday, claiming it leased the land from the government.

However, Bogura's Deputy Commissioner Hosna Afroza refuted the claim, calling the lease documents "fabricated".

According to district administration sources, official boundary demarcations and surveys by both the district administration and the Water Development Board (WDB) confirmed that the TMSS had occupied significant portions of the river by gradually filling it with earth. 

Structures identified include a medical student hostel, an oxygen plant, a martyr monument, and notably, the BCL Glass Factory.

The district administration says eviction notices were served earlier in February, but the TMSS secured a temporary injunction from a lower court, which was later vacated by the court as the administration filed its response.

DC Hosna Afroz said, "They earlier filed a case in the lower court. But since it's river land, it cannot be leased. We appealed to the High Court, and no injunction exists there either."

In 2023, the TMSS was fined Tk10 lakh by a mobile court for attempting to construct a mud road across the Karatoa River. Additionally, a case was filed by the Water Development Board against TMSS for illegal encroachment in May same year.