No illegal occupants will be spared: Salman

Salman F Rahman, the prime minister’s private industry and investment adviser, said that the government will progressively take possession of all the historic buildings in Nawabganj and Dohar upazilas which are now under illegal occupation.

“No one will be spared whoever he may be,” he said on Monday while visiting the state-owned traditional building ‘Brajo Niketan’ in Nawabganj upazila of Dhaka district that has been freed from the clutches of illegal occupants recently.

The Secretary of the Ministry of Cultural Affairs and the Director General of Directorate of Archeology were also present.

The old structure, which had been under occupation for a long time, was freed from illegal occupants on December 31 under the supervision and advice of the prime minister’s adviser.

During his visit, Salman F Rahman also asked the officials concerned to restore the building to its previous condition, says a press release.

When asked what will happen to the other occupied buildings, he said that six other buildings are also under illegal occupation in Nawabganj while a list of all the buildings in Dohar is being made. These historical buildings will be freed from occupation in line with the law. No one can grab someone’s property by force. All government properties will be recovered gradually.

Mentioning that the government property will be in the possession of the government, Salman said the country’s economic structure can be changed if old architectures are freed from encroachment and renovated and developed as tourist hubs.

Zamindar Brajan Roy built the British-era palace named ‘Brajo Niketan’ about two hundred years ago on the bank of the Ichamati River flowing through the Kalakopa union in Nawabganj upazila. Using muscle power and political influence, Dhaka district BNP president Khandaker Abu Ashfaq’s brother retired district judge Abul Hossain, Abul Kalam Khandaker and other members of his family illegally occupied this ‘Brajo Niketan’ establishment. Currently, this historical building and property are under the possession of the government.

After the visit, Salman also said that tourism can play a key part in any country’s economic development. Tourism is a major source of revenue for many developed and developing countries. Tourism, in addition to offering job possibilities, boosts revenue and has a favourable impact on the country’s total income and output.

Salman inaugurated the new Shilpakala Academy building in Nawabganj upazila to the magnificent development of cultivating rich culture. As the program’s chief guest, he said that the Shilpakala Academy is trying to establish national culture and art, preserve and promote cultural legacy, and generate a flow of art culture for all people in order to build a humane Bangladesh.

Md. Abul Mansur, Secretary of the Ministry of Cultural Affairs, and Adviser Salman F Rahman welcomed this great initiative, saying that if the country’s tourist spots can be made more appealing to tourists by taking timely and planned steps, a new horizon will open in Bangladesh’s tourism industry. After the legal process, they will preserve the history and heritage of the house.