Rights organisations against new vested property listing

Human rights organisations of Bangladesh have protested the listing of new vested property in the name of amendment.

A total of nine organisations held a press conference entitled “The latest amendment thought of vested property amendment act and the apprehension of the troubled people” at the Reporters' Unity in the capital on Monday.

In the programme, Advocate Sultana Kamal, executive director of Ain o Salish Kendro, said: “New vested property cannot be listed in the name of amendment. Publishing any gazette regarding the act will be illegal.”

Kamal warned of tougher movement if the government does not punish the troublemakers for the swift implementation of the vested property return process.

Among others, Khishi Kabir, Shamsul Huda, Advocate Kazol Devnath, Advocate Subrata Chowdhury, were present as discussants.

Advocate Subrata Chowdhury, in his keynote paper, said: “We want the tribunal to resolve the cases faster.”

The human rights organisations include BLAST, Nijera Kari, BDRC, ALRD, Bangladesh Hindu Buddhist Christian Parishad, Arpita Sampatti Ainer Pratirod Andolon, Sammilita Samajik Andolon, Bangladesh Puja Udjapan Parishad.

To implement the vested property act, the land ministry, on November 20 last year, issued a circular related to the scrapped Schedule Kha, while another circular was published the following day that asked for the annulment of the previous circular and the start of activities related to updating the taxes on properties and the cancellation of names.

However, some land administration officials have misinterpreted the circular and suspended the activities mentioned in the act, resulting in hundreds of victims being denied any benefit from the law.

The vested property that was not under the control of the government was in the “Schedule Kha.”