The district administration of Dhaka has successfully recovered 30 decimals of endowed property valued at approximately Tk 200 crores belonging to the “Sri Sri Lakshmi Narayan Jiu Mandir Vigraha” in Motijheel.
Motijheel Revenue Circle Assistant Commissioner (Land) and Executive Magistrate Mahmudul Hasan led the operation on Saturday.
For a long time, local influential individuals had illegally occupied the 30 decimals of endowed property. The recovery was executed following orders from the deputy commissioner of Dhaka.
According to the law, the sale of endowed property is prohibited. The recovered land will be handed over to the Hindu Religious Welfare Trust.
Hasan stated that the existing structure will be demolished to make way for a new temple. Previously, the site housed an Ansar camp, which was later occupied by influential individuals using forged ownership documents.
After the temple committee filed an application and subsequent investigation confirmed the illegal occupation, the recovery operation was initiated.
The recovered land includes 0.3800 acres of plot. The managing trustees, Sujit Kumar Bose and Ping Sachindra Nath Bose of No. 3 Harish Chandra Babu Street, Bangla Bazar, Dhaka, have maintained the latest city records. However, unscrupulous businessmen had long been encroaching on the property, constructing illegal structures and shophouses.
Subrata Pal, vice chairman of the Hindu Religious Welfare Trust, noted that 36 decimals of the land had been in the hands of illegal occupants. An application was made to the deputy commissioner of Dhaka to reclaim the property.
Pal confirmed plans to build a new temple on the recovered land, where a temple once stood.
