54 Dhaka schools’ properties grabbed

Land, buildings, classrooms and other property of 54 out of 295 public primary schools in Dhaka City have been grabbed by different quarters ranging from government institutions to slum dwellers.

A report by the Dhaka district primary education officer says Dhaka WASA (Water and Sewerage Supply Authority) has installed water pumps on plots belonging to seven schools.

A community centre, garage, Ansar-VDP camp, kitchen market, mosque, Eid prayer ground, clubs and shops have encroached on land owned by several schools.

Individual encroachers include local bigwigs, slum dwellers and non-Bengalis.

The Dhaka district primary education office submitted the report to the primary and mass education ministry on Sept 18.

The report, a copy of which has been obtained by bdnews24.com, suggested ways to recover school land and other possessions from the clutches of the encroachers.

Primary and mass education secretary Kazi Akhtar Hossain said initiatives, including legal measures, were being taken to free the grabbed school properties.

Dhaka district primary education officer Shirin Akter told bdnews24.com they would sue the grabbers.

Grabbed schools

A WASA pump has been installed on 1,080 square feet of land of the Suritola Model Primary School in old Dhaka. The school’s building’s ground, first and third floors have been occupied by the Ramna Railway High School.

Dhanmondi-1 Govt Primary School saw another WASA pump installed on 30 decimals of land out of 36 decimals. The Dhanmondi Law College has occupied two of the school’s classrooms.

The other schools where WASA pumps have been installed are the Shahidbagh Primary School at Mirpur, Matuail No 2 School at Demra, Meradia School at Gulshan, Ideal Muslim Boys/Girls School at Motijheel and Madartek Govt Primary School.

Ansar-VDP force has occupied the ground floor of the Hazi Mazharul Haq Primary School under Kotwali Police Station.

Non-Bengalis have grabbed 20 decimals of a 26.49-decimal plot belonging to the A Mannan Govt Primary School at Mirpur, and 30 out of 36 decimals of the Kamrangir Char Govt Primary School under the Mohammadpur Police Station.

Slums have cropped up on plots of land owned by the Khalilur Rhaman and Kazi Farid schools at Mirpur and Sher-e-Bangla Govt Primary School at Sher-e-Bangla Nagar.

A kitchen market is thriving on Ramna Railway Govt School land.

A part of the Dakshin Khan Primary School land has been turned into an Eid prayer ground, a mosque has come up on Taltala Primary School land in Agargaon, and a garage on the Khilgaon Model School’s land.

The Bonghal High School has occupied the first and a part of the third floors of the FKM Government Primary School, while a community centre has taken over the second and the rest of the already encroached third floor.

A Hamid Kalandar High School functions in the dilapidated and abandoned Chhoto Katra Government Primary School building.

A former headmaster of the Armanitola Government Primary School has got 5.6 decimals of the school’s 18.02 decimals recorded in his name.

The Nazirabazar Girls’ School authorities turned two classrooms of the Nazirabazar Government Primary School under the Kotwali Police Station into storerooms to dump their stuff.

Khelaghar is using 25.76 out of 37.76 decimals of land belonging to Gendaria Mohila Samity Government Primary School.

A five-storied building has been built on 5 out of 11.6 decimals of land of the MA Alim Government Primary School at Sutrapur.

Likewise, 15 out of 21 decimals of land of the Matuail Government Primary School have been occupied land grabbers.

Clubs have been founded on plots of land belonging to the Bipin Roy School at Sutrapur and Agargaon Taltola school in Khilgaon.

Several shops have been erected on the Borabo Government Primary School’s land at Mohammadpur and dwellings on Brahman Chiron school’s land at Demra.

The report mentioned the measures taken earlier to evict the grabbers.

It said the the Dhaka district administration had been requested to conduct eviction drives in some schools.