Staff Reporter

The vicinity of Padma Bridge is rapidly turning into a business hub and tourist hotspot, shooting up the land price by many folds particularly at Zajira in Shariatpur and Shibchar in Madaripur.

A large number of businessmen have already purchased land at Zajira and Shibchar to set up industries, hospitals, training centres, residential hotels and so on while many began to buy land, increasing the demand and causing a rise in land price around Padma Bridge.

Farmlands are being turned into commercial plots after land filling, creating new hope of economic prosperity among the locals— many of them have to stay in the capital and other parts of the country to engage in income-generating activities.

In addition to many private-sector projects, the government has already taken up a project to build Sheikh Hasina Tant Palli between Zajira and Shibchar near Padma Bridge to be inaugurated on June 25.

Besides, a proposed four-lane road from Zajira to Shariatpur Sadar is also attracting businessmen to buy land in that area.

A bigha (33 decimals) of land which sold at Tk 1.50-2 lakh seven to eight years ago now sells at Tk 80 lakh to Tk 1 crore, said locals and government officials concerned.

Badsha Textiles Ltd bought 30 bighas of land at Naodoba in 2015. Each bigha (33 decimals) was bought at Tk 20-25 lakh. Badal, who worked as a middleman for facilitating the land purchase, said: “Now, the price of a bigha of land is about Tk 1 crore.”

Abdur Rouf sold a bigha of land at Naudoba at Tk 2 lakh just two years before the start of Padma Bridge construction work in 2014.

A 10 decimals plot next to that land was sold at over Tk 24.42 lakh two months ago, said Rouf.
Mohammad Arif, a member of ward No. 1 of Naudoba Union Parishad, told the Daily Sun that their area was neglected before the start of the Padma Bridge construction work.

“A bigha of land located next to the road was sold from Tk 1.5 lakh to 2 lakh a few years ago. But now the same size land is being sold from Tk 80 lakh-Tk 1 crore,” he said.

Md Parvez Hasan, deputy commissioner of Shariatpur, said the land price has increased by many folds for the bridge.

Chunnu Bepari, a member of Kathalbari Union Parishad under Shibchar upazila, told the Daily Sun that his ward is located along the Padma Bridge approach road.

The land price in the area was very low before 2014, he said, adding that when the construction work of the bridge began, the land price started to climb rapidly.

“Now a decimal of land beside a road is being sold at Tk 2.5-3 lakh,” he said.

Mobarrak Ali Shikder, owner of Mastrade Int. Garments Ltd, said he bought 100 bighas of land at Zajira for setting up garment factories, worker training centres and a technical college.

The land he bought is 12 kilometres from the Padma Bridge. He said the land price has jumped by 10 to 12 folds than the price he bought.

Besides Zajira and Shibchar, Padma Bridge has become a blessing for a rapid rise in land prices in some other parts of Shariatpur and Madaripur. Land price at Bhanga upazila in Faridpur also jumped for the bridge, said some local people.

Ashraf Hossain, chairman of Medinimandal Union Parishad, which is widely known as Mawa, under Lauhaganj upazila in Munshiganj, said earlier a decimal of land beside the Padma Bridge approach road was being sold from Tk 80,000 to 1 lakh. But the price has now jumped to Tk 10-12 lakh.