According to the order of the High Court, Charbangla agricultural Khas land of Galachipa Upazila, Charbangla Resourceless Farmers’ Cooperative Society has demanded to provide one-year DCR(Duplicate Carbon Receipt) in the name of landless farmers of Charbangla. The organization made the demand at a press conference held at Patuakhali Press Club on Tuesday, December 29, 2020, at 11 a.m.

At the press conference, the following demands were made on behalf of Charbangla Bitahhin Cooperative Society for the administration to accept them.

1. According to the order of the Hon’ble High Court, Char Bangla Agricultural Khas land of Galachipa Upazila has to be given one year DCR.

2. Fake settlement must be cancelled.

3. Unscrupulous officer surveyor Kamrul Islam should be removed.

4. Permanent settlement should be given on Khas land on the basis of printed map prepared by Diara survey.

At that time, the leaders said, Charbangla is a Khaschar belonging to Galachipa Upazilla of Patuakhali District. For the last 27 years, we, the members of Charbangla Bittahin Krishok Samabaya Samiti, have been living in this char with our children by building houses and cultivating the land. Although we have occupied the char for a long time, we have always lost our way due to the vested interests of the local administration and the tyranny of the tout-landlords-lathiyals. Due to their various conspiracies, we have never been able to bring home the harvest safely. The conspiracy of some dishonest officials and employees of the administration is to loot the paddy crop every year. As a result, we, the real landless people living in chars are deprived. This year too, with the direct and indirect help of the administration, such Tughlaqi shootings are being carried out. The purpose is to create a conflict over the cutting of paddy in the char and to harass the landless by filing a case against it. However, there is a clear instruction of the High Court to give a one-year lease and settlement among the landless in this Khas land. Upazila Nirbahi Officer Ashish Kumar Das and Assistant Commissioner (Land) Nazrul Islam, in collaboration with local resident surveyor Kamrul Islam, are conspiring to lease arbitrarily without heeding the High Court’s order. We are even forced to file contempt of court cases against them for the dilly-dallying of the administration. In addition, they are trying to deprive the members of the Charbangla Wealthless Farmers’ Cooperative Society with the help of crookedness. They are acting like their own whims without any proper discussion with the association. Writ Petition No. 373/2018 in the High Court, date of judgment: 8/11/2018. Court Contempt Case No. 26/2020, Date of Judgment: 23/9/2020

They also said that we want peace to prevail in Charbangla and proper rules should be followed in granting leases. It is to be mentioned that last September 2, the local administration exchanged views with the landless and some decisions were taken unanimously. On the same day, a list of farmers was taken to cultivate agricultural land. The situation would not have been as complicated as it is now if the decisions of the September 3 char visit had been implemented. On September 3, 2020, Assistant Commissioner (Land) Nazrul Islam of Galachipa Upazila, Surveyor Kamrul Islam and 4 other tahsildars went to the spot in order to give the land occupied by the landless farmers to cultivate. Landless farmers were deprived of cultivating their land due to the conspiracy of surveyor Kamrul Islam. There are rumors in the area that surveyor Kamrul Islam is involved in various misdeeds in exchange for large sums of money from fake settlers, land brokers and landlords. Here are some decisions to help you understand.

– All the landless living in the pastures will cultivate agricultural Khas land.

– Accept applications for the purpose of giving priority to the landless in the pastures.

– The settlement process will start after the survey and mapping.

– The landless will file a complaint to the authorities against the fake and illegal settlers.

– All the landless people living in the pastures will be united from today.

– Will not assist any landless landlords in any work.

– September 4, 2020, the list of proposed landless people in the local land office will be checked and selected by the landless leaders.

On November 19, 2020, the landless peasant members of Charben Wealthless Peasant Samobay Samiti Gala applied for about 800 applications for one year DCR. But the administration did not give any lease to the landless. If Khas land was leased as per government rules, the government would get revenue and the landless would also benefit.

The landless members present at the press conference are Md. Seraj Khan, Harun Hawlader, Mojibar Hawlader, Faruk Mir, Md. Jahangir Munshi, Shamsul Haque Peda, Md. Sohrab Khan, Md. Dulal Mridha, Md. Nasir Talukder, Md. Ismail Mollah, Sakhina Begum, Ira. Begum, Zainab Bibi, Rekha Begum and others.

Charbangla Krishok Samobai Samiti

Charbangla Krishok Samobai Samiti is one of the co-operatives that Bangladesh Krishok Federation developed in different occupied islands in the southern areas of Bangladesh.