Rivalry between two groups over taking the lease of several million Taka profit bearing Moju Chowdhury hat Ferry Ghat and the Launch Ghat has been intensified during the recent week.
The rivalry started between local influential Awami League leaders over occupying the Ghats in favour of the leasers of Zila Parishad and the BIWTA separately.
Both the rival groups are trying to take the lease of the Ghats anyway even through exercising muscle power which could lead to bloody clashes at any moment. Additional police have been deployed at the troubled scene to avert any clash.
Anowar Hossain Akanda, Deputy Commissioner (DC) of Lakshmipur organised a meeting at his office on Saturday to review the situation. Shimul Chakravarty, who took lease of the ghats from BIWTA at Tk 5.4 million, claimed himself as the sole authority to handle tolls of the ghats.
He further said, if he is not allowed to operate the ghats, he would be a loser. He expressed his protest and grief saying he would file a writ at the High Court in this connection. At the same time, he termed the leasing of the ghats as per the new gazette by the Zila Parishad and the Divisional Commissioner against the rule.
Meanwhile, the lease holder from BIWTA would operate the ghats following the order from the concerned ministry informed AKM Kausarul Islam, Deputy Director of BIWTA, Chandpur in charge of Lakshmipur. However, Md Shajahan, Chairman of Lakshmipur Zila Parishad said any order from the higher court should of course be followed.
Deputy Commissioner Anowar Hossain Akanda informed according to the decision of the meeting the former lease holder Ismael Hossain Pathan will be responsible to realize toll and to operate the Ghats and it will be only handed over to the new
leaseholder after the legal order from the ministry is received in favour of the BIWTA.
Moreover, they did not receive any order from the higher court in this connection. The meeting was attended, among others, by Superintendent of Police Dr. Kamruzzaman, Zila Parishad chairman Shajahan, Chief Executive of Zila Parishad Kul Pradip Chakma, Additional Deputy Commissioner Saifuzzaman Bhuiyan and Deputy Director of BIWTA Kaisarul Islam.
It is learnt, Ismael Hossain Pathan took lease of the ghats from the office of Divisional Commissioner of Chittagong for 2021-'22 fiscal year at Tk 90 lakh while the same ghats were leased out to Shimul Chakravarty by the BIWTA, Chandpur office on June-28 at Tk 54 lakh.
As a result, claiming as the only legal authority to operate and to collect tolls of the ghats, rivalry between Ismael and Shimul reached to the peak which would burst into bloody clashes anytime.
