Panchagarh Correspondent: Karatoya Solar Limited, a subsidiary of Beximco owner Salman F. Rahman, is attempting to revive the project that was concluded on July 36/24 in Tentulia, Panchagarh. Residents are once again apprehensive about potential lawsuits to safeguard their ancestral land from the company.
As per local reports, the Bangladesh Power Development Board (BPDB) entered into a 30-megawatt solar plant and power purchase agreement with Karatoya Solar Limited (KSL) in January 2020. Consequently, BPDB will acquire the electricity produced by KSL. Karatoya Solar Limited plans to execute this project on 130 acres of land. To facilitate this, it began acquiring land in 2017. Local land settler Phaniya Dalal acquired approximately 276 acres of land over two years. However, the company has only secured possession of 90 acres. Leveraging the influence of the ousted autocratic Sheikh Hasina government, Beximco Company acquired some land in Sheikhgoch Mouza.
At that time, the company did not consider the accuracy of the documents necessary for land purchase. The company, under the influence of power, took over the unsold agricultural land of the locals and destroyed the crops. The land settler individuals cheated the land owners and carried out land purchase and sale. The company did not purchase land from the real land owners, but fell into the clutches of the brokers and purchased land by pretending to be the owner of the fake land. At that time, powerful media persons regularly executed various documents through fake inheritance and filing of Beximco Company with the help of document writers. The then Panchagarh District Commissioner, in his memorandum No. 31.47.7700.017.42.003.21.703 dated August 18, 2021, had imposed conditions in the order of prior approval for the purchase of land by Karatoya Solar Limited for the establishment of a 30 MW solar power plant. However, in violation of that, Beximco Company did not purchase the land in the name of Karatoya Solar Limited but purchased the land in the name of individual ownership.
On Tuesday, when they went to investigate, Abdul Kader, son of the late Boyaddin of Banglachondi village in Debnagar union of the upazila, Rijibul, son of the late Habibur Rahman, Hasan, son of Safizul Islam, Nural, son of Abdul Kader, Ershad, son of Abdus Samat, and college student Rabbi said that Beximco Company tried to forcibly occupy their cultivable cropland for the establishment of a 30 MW solar power plant of Karatoya Solar Limited. The victims said that the company was not obeyed even though the Deputy Commissioner prohibited the company from purchasing agricultural or cropland. Then Abdul Kader, son of the late Boyaddin of that village, filed a written complaint against the company to various offices including the Deputy Commissioner of Panchagarh. Angered by this, the company’s people filed false cases against Abdul Kader and the local residents and sent them to jail and forcibly occupied their cultivated lands. They did not get justice even after pleading with the District Commissioner, Superintendent of Police, Upazila Executive Officer and local public representatives to recover the land.
‘Maqbul’s wife Pudina and Amirul’s wife Shahera said that during the Sheikh Hasina government, the company’s people roamed the area with weapons and guns. They brought tenants from other areas and forcibly occupied the land. When we tried to stop them, they threatened to bury us with the ground with the beak of a veku machine (cricket machine).
Badal, son of Shafiqul Islam of Sheikhgacha village, said, “If a solar project is implemented on our three crop lands, how will we live with our family; on which land will we produce crops? Now I am hearing that the company is secretly issuing mutation names in our unsold land in the Upazila Assistant Commissioner (Land) office through fake documents. But we have not received any notice of issuing mutation names. If necessary, I will give my life but I will not allow the solar project to be done by destroying the crop lands.
The victims said that after the fall of the dictator Sheikh Hasina, who fell through the student-public movement and revolution on July 36, 2024, the company people occupied the village. At that time, the locals were reoccupying the company’s expropriated and unsold land and cultivating it. But less than 4 to 5 months into the interim government, when the company people went to put up signboards again with some BNP leaders, they blocked them. After that, they tried to occupy the land and build an office building several times. The last time, on July 6/25, Sunday, a group of policemen along with the company representatives and the president of the Upazila Jubo Dal, Tahmidar Rahman, went there in a pickup truck from Tentulia Model Police Station, they returned to the resistance of the local people. The victims’ families allege that earlier the Awami League people occupied the land on behalf of the company; now the BNP people are cooperating in this work. Due to which they are afraid of being sued by the company for reoccupying the ancestral land. They are seeking the immediate attention of the Upazila Executive Officer on this matter.
Upazila BNP Secretary Md. Rezaul Karim Shahin said, they will take the land bought by the company, no BNP people are cooperating here. Rather, those who have sold the land are BNP people. We want the company to survey all the land bought by the company and establish the institution and create job opportunities for the people of the area.
Upazila Jubo Dal President Tahmidar Rahman Labu said, I do not represent the company. Our land is next to that project. When people go to see it, they think it belongs to the company.
Md. Obaidul Haque, the current public representative (member) of Ward No. 5 of Devnagar Union, said, the people of the area sold and pledged some of their land to the company. On the other hand, the company people then forcibly occupied someone’s land under the influence of power. I have been jailed for protesting all this. After the fall of the Hasina government, there was peace for a few days. Now, due to the presence of company people, the people of the area are again feeling restless and restless about the case. I want this complication to be resolved administratively. When asked about this on the phone,
Md. Zahirul Islam, the local project coordinator of Karatoya Solar Limited (KSL), said, 110 acres of land is required to set up a 30-megawatt project. To buy the land, 22-23 owners have signed deeds and agreements worth Tk 2 crore. But after the fall of the Hasina government on August 5/24, the company of Salman F. Rahman, the owner of Beximco, thinks that the owners of the sold land are trying to seize it. Now, if the company does not come there, the money will not be paid. There is a public dispute with the company on this. But people do not understand that if the company is established, many people in the area will have employment opportunities and the area will develop.
When asked to inform on the mobile phone, Officer-in-Charge of Tentulia Model Police Station Md. Musa Miah said, on July 6/25, after receiving a call on 999 about the problem, a police team went to the Karatoya Solar Company Limited center area with a pickup.
Upazila Assistant Commissioner (Land) Tentulia (Additional Duty) Mohan Minji said, I have heard about the problem in the area regarding the purchase and sale of the land of Karatoya Solar Limited (KSL). So far, no representative of the company or any local has come regarding the mutation (issuance of name) of the said land. If any complaint is received, the mutation process will be carried out as usual after verifying the actual ownership documents.
Upazila Executive Officer Md. Afroz Shahin Khasru said, “We have not received any new complaints from the local people regarding the lawsuit filed with the company regarding the land for the establishment of the Karatoya Solar Limited center. If any complaint is received from the local people, the matter will be investigated and necessary measures will be taken to maintain peace and order.
