Jolshiri Abashon

Last updated
Jolshiri Abason
Founding leaderGeneral Iqbal Karim Bhuiyan
ChairmanMajor General Md. Abu Sayed Siddique, SUP, SPP, afwc, psc
Managing DirectorBrigadier General S M Anwar Hossain, afwc, psc

Jolshiri Abashon is an under construction residential area developed by Jolshiri Abashon corporation, a sister corporation of the Army Officers Housing Scheme, in Rupganj Upazila, Narayanganj District. It is exclusively built for Bangladesh Army officers. It was referred to by the name Army Housing Scheme in the past.

Contents

History

In 2010, Army Housing Scheme purchased 1400 bigha for the Jolshiri residential project. Quarter Master General of the Bangladesh Army was the Chairman of the Scheme. The plan was to purchase up to 13 thousand bigha or 4333 acres in Rupganj Upazila, Narayanganj District. [1] On 24 October 2010, seven thousand residents of Rupganj laid siege to Tanmushury camp, of Bangladesh Army, involved with the Army Housing Scheme. The protesters had clashed with law-enforcement personnel. In the ensuing violence, 50 people were injured, including 15 who were shot by members of the Rapid Action Battalion and Bangladesh Army. Bangladesh Police reported that their personnel did not fire any rounds. The Army officers were airlifted out of the camp. The protesters then burned down the camp and two vehicles of the Bangladesh Army. [2]

The protesters accused Bangladesh Army of forcefully purchasing their lands. They accused the local Member of Parliament, Golam Dastagir Gazi, of supporting the Army officers buying land at Rupganj for below market rates. Gazi denied the allegations against him and described them as a conspiracy by the opposition party [2] Following the protests; cases were filed against three to four thousand people by Rapid Action Battalion. Members of the Bangladesh Police and Armed Police Battalion were stationed there to maintain peace. Male residents of Rupganj went into hiding, fearing arrest following the filing of cases. Shops were closed in Rupganj and carried a deserted look. Three villagers were missing after the clash. [3] One protester, Mostafa Jamal Haider, died of bullet injuries at the National Institute of Cardiovascular Diseases. Police officers at the scene said Army officers were using government vehicles and resources for the private development project. Inter Services Public Relations denied the camps were army camps, despite being manned by uniformed personnel, and called them temporary project site offices. One missing man was discovered in Army custody and was at Combined Military Hospital. The army personnel had taken him while being airlifted out of the camp. [4]

The Daily Star criticized the presence of Army officers at the local land registry office monitoring the land sale. It also questioned the appropriateness of serving army officers managing a private corporation and the legal basis of the development project. [1] On 30 October, Bangladesh Army sued 50-60 people over the protests at Rupganj Police Station. Relatives of the missing accused the authorities of shooting the missing and taking away their bodies. [5] Bangladesh Army had established several camps in Rupganj Upazila. They established a presence at the local land registry office and would refuse to let people sell their land to anyone other than the army. The army also offered a price lower than the market rate. The army defended its role in the project by describing it as government-approved, but Abdul Mannan Khan, State Minister for Housing and Public Works, denied any knowledge of the project. [6] The army recorded all sales at the land office. They prevent registering land, an Eid prayer ground, as Waqf property. The lands sold to the project were recorded at a lower value than the selling price to dodge taxes. [7]

On 28 October 2010, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina approved the Army Housing Scheme and asked them to ensure no conflicts with locals. Bangladesh Army also decided to scale down the project in light of the protests [8] Jolshiri Abashon was incorporated on 11 April 2011 under the companies act, 2011. A board of directors leads it, and Major General Md. Abu Sayed Siddique is the board chairman. Brig Gen Ohidul Alam Chowdhury, PPM, SPP, ndc, psc, is the current Managing Director of this project. [9] It was given the responsibility to develop Jolshiri Abashon which is 2100 acre property in Rupganj Upazila, Narayanganj District which is on the outskirts of Dhaka. [10]

On 4 June 2019, General Aziz Ahmed, chief of the Bangladesh Army, inaugurated the construction of buildings for Adamjee Public School and College, Bangladesh International School and College, and Jolshiri Public School and College at Jolshiri Abashon. [11]

Environmental impact

The site is situated in a designated flood flow zone of Dhaka. According to Dhaka Metropolitan Development Plan, this area cannot be developed or built upon. Md Nurul Huda, Chairman of Rajdhani Unnayan Kartripakkha, said that Army officials did not consult them or seek their approval for the project's construction. Major General Iqbal Karim Bhuiyan was the chairman of the scheme in 2010. [12] Department of Environment fined Jolshiri Abashon for lacking an environment clearance certificate in 2015. It was fined following a hearing at the department headquarters in Dhaka. [13] Chairman of Jolshri Abashon questioned the detailed area plan (DAP) in November 2017 in a meeting with real estate agents and Rajdhani Unnayan Kartripakkha. The developers questioned the need for wetlands and water retention areas. [14]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Narayanganj District</span> Place in Dhaka, Bangladesh

Narayanganj District is a district in central Bangladesh which is a part of the Dhaka Division. It is the smallest district in Bangladesh. It is home to the ancient city of one of the oldest industrial districts in the country. The district lies on the banks of the Shitalakshya River and the Meghna River. It is an industrial hub and plays an important part in the country's jute trade, plant processing and sector. It is nicknamed the "Dundee of Bangladesh" due to the presence of many jute mills.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gazipur Sadar Upazila</span> Upazila in Dhaka, Bangladesh

Gazipur Sadar is an upazila (sub-district) of the Gazipur District in central Bangladesh, part of the Dhaka Division.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rupganj Upazila</span> Upazila in Dhaka, Bangladesh

Rupganj is an upazila of Narayanganj District in the Division of Dhaka, Bangladesh.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Greater Dhaka</span> Dhaka Metropolitan area

Greater Dhaka is the Megalopolis including and surrounding the Bangladeshi capital city of Dhaka, which has grown into one of the world's largest megacities, and shows a very rapid rate of expansion. Dhaka not only grows because it is the capital and largest urban center but also due to massive internal displacement from millions of people living in a perennially flood-prone river delta.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rajdhani Unnayan Kartripakkha</span> Public agency in Bangladesh

Rajdhani Unnayan Kartripakkha is a Bangladeshi public agency responsible for coordinating urban development in Dhaka. RAJUK is composed of various public officials, city planners, urban administrators, engineers, and architects. It is the National Authoritative Board on building planning, estates and resources, plot allotment, and construction approvals from both public and private entities. It utilizes the Dhaka Improvement Trust Rule of 1969 and The Town Improvement Act of 1953, both scribed since before the Independence of Bangladesh.

Purbachal New Town Project or formerly Purbachal Residential Model Town is the biggest planned township in Bangladesh. The project area consists of about 6,213 acres (25.14 km2) land located in between the Shitalakshya and the Balu rivers at Rupganj thana of Narayanganj district and at Kaliganj thana of Gazipur district, in the northeastern side of Dhaka. The township is linked with a fourteen-lane expressway from the Airport Road-Progati Sarani intersection in Dhaka. The plan includes the provision of approximately 26,000 residential plots of various sizes and 62,000 apartments, complete with essential infrastructure and urban amenities.

Real estate in Bangladesh refers to the industry and market related to the buying, selling, and development of properties in the country. It is a fastest growing sector in Bangladesh.

HBM Iqbal is a Bangladeshi entrepreneur and the founder chairperson of Premier Group of Companies Ltd. He is also a Bangladesh Awami League politician and a former Jatiya Sangsad member representing the Dhaka-10 constituency during 1996–2001.

Jhilmil Residential Area is a residential housing project developed in Keraniganj Upazila by Rajdhani Unnayan Kartripakkha as a suburb of Dhaka.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Anondo Police Housing Society</span> Residential area in Rupganj Union

Anondo Police Housing Society is a residential area in Rupganj Union being developed by Anand Police Family Welfare Cooperative Society. It is owned and managed by members of Bangladesh Police.

Khaled Al Mamun PBGM, ndc, psc is a major general of the Bangladesh Army, currently serving as the GOC & Area Commander of 11th Infantry division. Prior to it, he was military secretary & the Director of Military Intelligence (DMI) at Army Headquarters.

Canadian University of Bangladesh is a private university in Dhaka, Bangladesh. The university is affiliated to the University Grants Commission. Chowdhury Nafeez Sarafat is the chairperson of the board of trustees. H. M. Jahirul Haque is the vice-chancellor of the university.

Sajeeb Group is a Bangladeshi diversified conglomerate based in Dhaka known for their processed foods. Md. Abul Hashem is the Chairperson of the Group.

Md. Miftah Uddin Choudhury is a judge on the High Court Division of Bangladesh Supreme Court.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Zinda Park</span> Park in Narayanganj, Bangladesh

Zinda Park or Oikotan Eco Resort is an amusement park and leisure center located in Narayanganj District of Bangladesh. The area of the park is 33 acres. The park is a tourist attraction of Narayanganj district.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">New Dhaka</span> Region in Dhaka District, Bangladesh

New Dhaka, is an unofficial term used to describe the area located north of Old Dhaka that has been incorporated in the city of Dhaka, the capital and largest city of Bangladesh over time. The term is ambiguous, as it may refer either to upscale and/or planned neighbourhoods with wider streets, modern buildings, and improved facilities, or to the city of Dhaka excluding the Old Dhaka region.

Gazi Md. Mozammel Haque is an Additional Director General of Bangladesh Police. He is the director of Anondo Police Housing Society which owns land worth 66.5 billion Bangladesh taka. He is the Joint Secretary of Bangladesh Kabaddi Federation.

Gazi Group is a Bangladeshi diversified conglomerate based in Dhaka. The founding chairman of Gazi Group is Golam Dastagir Gazi, former Textile and Jute Minister of the Awami League government.

Neela Market is a market situated in Bholanathpur, Sector 1, Purbachal New Town, Dhaka. It is accessible from Purbachal Expressway and people from Dhaka need to cross Balu Bridge to go there.

References

  1. 1 2 "Army Housing Scheme". The Daily Star. 27 October 2010. Retrieved 31 May 2020.
  2. 1 2 "Rupganj flies into fury". The Daily Star. 24 October 2010. Retrieved 31 May 2020.
  3. "Rupganj males on the run". The Daily Star. 26 October 2010. Retrieved 31 May 2020.
  4. "Rupganj still tense". The Daily Star. 25 October 2010. Retrieved 31 May 2020.
  5. "Army sues 50-60 for Rupganj violence". The Daily Star. 30 October 2010. Retrieved 31 May 2020.
  6. Munim, Rifat (18 February 2011). "Forced to Sell their Land". thedailystar.net. Star Weekend Magazine. Retrieved 31 May 2020.
  7. Roy, Pinaki (25 October 2010). "Army officials kept track of land sale". The Daily Star. Retrieved 31 May 2020.
  8. Manik, Julfikar Ali; Liton, Shakhawat (28 October 2010). "Green light from PM". The Daily Star. Retrieved 31 May 2020.
  9. "Jolshiri Abashon". jolshiri.itdte.net. Retrieved 2021-11-03.
  10. "Jolshiri Abashon". jolshiriabashon.com. Archived from the original on 19 January 2020. Retrieved 31 May 2020.
  11. "Army chief inaugurates construction work of three educational institutions". New Age. Retrieved 31 May 2020.
  12. "Project area includes flood flow zone". The Daily Star. Retrieved 31 May 2020.
  13. Abdullah, Shaikh. "Government agency fines Bangladesh Army's housing project in Narayanganj for harming environment". bdnews24.com. Retrieved 31 May 2020.
  14. "Dhaka doesn't need wetland!". The Daily Star. 2 November 2017. Retrieved 31 May 2020.

23°48′11″N90°30′02″E / 23.8029965°N 90.5005645°E / 23.8029965; 90.5005645