Patuakhali EPZ project stalled: Locals demand unpaid compensation for acquired land

Locals halted the land-filling work at the Patuakhali Economic Zone (EPZ) on Saturday afternoon (13 July) due to unpaid compensation for the land acquired by the government. 

The landowners announced that the work would only resume once the outstanding payments were settled.

"They have taken about 160 decimals of my land for the EPZ and haven't paid me a single penny yet. They brought an excavator to dig without paying. Thus, I went to stop them," said Milan Sharif, a 63-year-old resident from Patuakhali Sadar's Auliapur union.

"I haven't stopped them from taking the land. The government can use it for development, but they need to pay me what I'm owed," he added.

Joynab Begum, another local resident, relinquished both her ancestral land and her husband's land for the EPZ.

"Because of the EPZ, I couldn't even bury my uncle in my land," she said. 

"They have been delaying our payment for years. We have lost everything and now being deprived of the compensation money," Joynab added. 

Another resident, Mannan Hawlader, gave up 2.95 acres of land capable of three harvests a year for the EPZ. 

"They decided the price and took the land in 2021, but I haven't received a single penny to this date. We didn't come out to protest for no reason. We have come to demand what is rightfully ours," he said. 

When asked, Md Humayun Kabir, chairman of Auliapur Union Parishad, blamed "errors in the paperwork" for such a delay. 

"The papers of around 1200 people have already been verified and sent to the district administrator's office for distribution of funds. As far as I know, the paperwork for the acquisition has been transferred from the district administrator's office to the EPZ authority," he said. 

The chairman claimed that contractors for the project were hired after the paper transfer. 

"Those who haven't received money have errors in their paperwork," he added. 

Shafiqul Islam, director of the Patuakhali EPZ project, said they transferred Tk262 crore to the district administration nine months ago to acquire the lands.

"We will bring this incident to the attention of the district administrator since they handed over the land to us. This situation is unacceptable, and we also want the local residents to receive their compensation quickly," he added. 

Deputy Commissioner Nur Kutubul Alam said, "A team of ten representatives will be sent to the site to resolve the issue. Necessary arrangements will be made so that work can resume today [14 July]."

"Since this involves financial matters, utmost caution will be taken to verify the paperwork before distributing funds," he added. 

On 8 August 2021, the Prime Minister's Office (PMO) approved the land acquisition for the Bangladesh Export Processing Zones Authority (BEPZA) to establish the  Patuakhali EPZ. 

The EPZ is being developed on 410.78 acres of land in Pachakoralia village, located in Patuakhali Sadar's Auliapur Union.

Additionally, an Investors Club is being set up on 2.25 acres of land in Kuakata under the same project.