Staff Correspondent

Land Minister Md. Mizanur Rahman Minu on Thursday underscored the imperative of maintaining transparency in land acquisition, safeguarding public interest, and ensuring balanced land utilization.

Addressing the 157th meeting of the Central Land Allocation Committee held at the conference room of the Ministry of Land, the minister instructed officials to execute land acquisition transparently to prevent public dissatisfaction, while cautioning stakeholders to protect agricultural land and ecological harmony.

State Minister for Land Barrister Mir Mohammad Helal Uddin and Senior Secretary of the Ministry A.S.M. Saleh Ahmed attended the meeting alongside senior officials from various ministries and departments.

The committee granted preliminary and final approvals for several key infrastructure projects, including land acquisitions for the Chittagong Development Authority's canal re-excavation and expansion project across Panchlaish, Kotwali, and Bakalia mouzas in Chattogram Metropolitan area. Approvals were also accorded for the upgrading of the Chaturi-CUFL-Karnafuli Dry Dock-Fakirnihat national highway in Chattogram's Juldha, Badalpura, Sikalbaha, and Shahmirpur mouzas, and a 132kV double-circuit power transmission line in Netrokona Sadar Upazila.

Preliminary approval was granted for Nazma Paper and Board Mills Limited in Sonargaon Upazila of Narayanganj, alongside final acquisition approval for 1.8652 acres benefiting Meghna Economic Zone Limited.

The committee also finalized land acquisition proposals exceeding 50 bighas recommended by District Land Allocation Committees across multiple districts. These include road development works under the Jamalpur Road Division across several mouzas in Kazipur Upazila of Sirajganj, the Joydebpur-Ishwardi dual-gauge double line railway project spanning 21 mouzas in Mirzapur Upazila of Tangail, the Baraiyarhat-Heyako-Ramgarh road widening project across Mirsarai and Fatikchhari upazilas in Chattogram, and the Jashore Export Processing Zone project in Abhaynagar Upazila of Jashore.

The meeting authorized the repurposing of land previously acquired for Bogura Cold Storage and Allied Industries Limited to establish a public welfare hospital under the Acquisition and Requisition of Immovable Property Act, 2017.