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Published : 08 Jan 2026, 07:13 PM
The Bangladesh Tea Board has recovered 65 decimals of its land in Chattogram’s Bayezid Bostami through an eviction drive carried out under a court directive.
The drive was conducted on Thursday under the leadership of Hussain Muhammad, assistant commissioner (land) of the Kattali Circle.
The land had been leased to Modern Steel Mills Limited, an affiliate of steel manufacturer Ratanpur Steel Re-Rolling Mills Limited (RSRM).
According to the Tea Board, the company continued to occupy the land even after the lease expired and failed to pay outstanding rent amounting to Tk 22.4 million.
Tea Board Deputy Director (Commerce) Muhammad Madhul Kabir Chowdhury told bdnews24.com that the board had sent repeated notices over nearly four years seeking clearance of dues and repossession of the land, without success.
He said the High Court on Jun 1 last year ordered Modern Steel Mills to clear all outstanding payments within one month, but the order was not complied with.
The vacant land, located near the Bayezid Bostami shrine, was first leased in 2008. The agreement was renewed in 2018 with a condition that the land would be returned in 2022 for construction of the Tea Board’s headquarters and staff housing.
Although the lease expired on Dec 31, 2022, the land was not handed back, prompting the government agency to seek legal remedy.
Attempts to contact RSRM Director Marzanur Rahman were unsuccessful.
After the operation, Officer Hussain said at 5:20pm that the land had been handed over to the Tea Board in line with the court order.
An electrical substation installed by Modern Steel Mills remains on the recovered land.
Tea Board official Madhul said the substation has been non-functional for several years after Janata Bank sealed it due to large unpaid loans owed by the company.
The eviction drive was carried out with support from the district administration, Army personnel and police.
