Bill for compensating landowners placed in JS

The land minister, Rezaul Karim Hira, introduced a bill in parliament on Tuesday

seeking approval for payment of compensation to citizens whose land would be acquired for building the 26-kilometre Dhaka Elevated Expressway.

In the Dhaka Elevated Expressway Project (Land Acquisition) Bill 2011, the government proposed to give flats or land plots and money in compensation to citizens whose land would be acquired for the expressway.

The government owns 80 per cent of land needed for the 26-kilometre expressway while it has to acquire 20 per cent more belonging to citizens.

The expressway is designed to link Shahjalal International Airport with Kutubkhali on the Dhaka-Chittagong highway, says the bill.

The bill proposes payment of due compensation to the landowners so that no untoward incidents could occur at the time of acquisition of land for the expressway.

It states that the government had taken the priority project to cut down the city's traffic congestion.

The expressway would be built under public-private partnership at a

cost of Tk 8,703 crore.

The law minister, Shafique Ahmed briefed parliament on May 22 about the Dhaka Elevated Expressway Project (Land Acquisition) Ordinance, 2011 promulgated by the president on May 12 when parliament was not in session.

The Constitution requires the government to place the ordinance in parliament at its next session.

Under the ordinance, the land for the expressway would be considered to have been acquired in 'public interest'.

It states no compensation would be given to anyone building any structure

against public interest on the land acquired.

It also disqualifies landowners from filing lawsuits with a court against the action taken under the ordinance.

The government engaged an Italian-Thai company for building the expressway under private-public partnership.

Source : New Age

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