The former member of parliament from Chattogram-6 (Raozan), ABM Fazle Karim Chowdhury, had been controversial for various activities during the Awami League rule. He was criticised for silencing dissenting voices, preventing anyone outside of his choice from contesting in the “Raozan style” election and more. Even then, he was shown to be an “important person” and allotted a plot of land on special consideration by the Chittagong Development Authority (CDA).
There is no provision to allocate plots to anyone who owns family land in Chattogram city. However, even though he had his paternal home in Pathargatha of the city, in 2013 Fazle Karim Chowdhury was allotted a plot in the Ananya Residential Area. At the time he had been the chairman of the standing committee on the housing and public works committee. CDA is an organisation under this ministry.
Fazle Karim Chowdhury is not the only one to get such privilege. CDA allotted plots to another 58 persons including former ministers and MPs of Awami League, party leaders, pro-Awami professionals, journalists and others, terming them to be “important persons”.
According to CDA’s plot allocation rules, there is no provision to allot plots to any applicant who has residential plots in Chattogram City Corporation area or any CDA housing project or was leased plots by CDA in the past. However, this rule was not followed.
During its 15 years of rule, the Awami League government which was overthrown in a student-people’s uprising, breached the regulations to allot 155 plots of land without putting up any notice. Plots were given on special consideration to Awami League ministers, members of parliament, party leaders, CDA board members, freedom fighters of the Awami camp, pro-Awami League businesspersons, professionals and others. Regulations were also violated in providing officials and employees more plots than the reserved ones.
Plots were allotted in three phases in 2009, 2013 and 2018 in Chattogram city’s Ananya Residential Area and Kalpalok Residential Area. Seven ministers and eight members of parliament of Chattogram region, at least 15 leaders of Awami League and its associate bodies, 11 journalist, 10 CDA board members and 62 officers and employees of CDA received plots. Pro-Awami League freedom fighters, academics and businesspersons received 43 plots.
According to the CDA regulations, before plots are allocated, notices must be published in four newspapers. This was not done. Not only that, but these influential persons got valuable plots on the residential areas at prices three to six times lower than the market value. The cost of land in the residential areas was 2.5 million taka to 3 million taka (25 to 30 lakh taka) per katha. The “important persons” were given these plots for only 600 thousand taka (6 lakh taka) per katha.
CDA had seen four chairmen during the last 15 years. Three of them had been appointed by the Awami League government. Allocations of 128 plots out of 155 were allocated when city Awami League treasurer Abdus Salam had been chairman for 10 years. In the fixed election held on 7 January last year, Salam was elected MP as an independent candidate. He went into hiding after the fall of the government. His comment could not be taken as his mobile phone remains turned off.
152 plots all of Ananya project
CDA sources say, all of the 152 plots that were allotted in violation of the rules, were of the Ananya housing project. This project of 169 acres of land in the city’s Chandgaon and Kuaish area had been taken up in 2025 at a cost of 3.76 billion taka (376 crore taka) by the BNP-Jamaat government. There were 1725 plots in this project. Then in 2008 during the caretaker government, 1460 plots were allotted by means of lottery. Of the remaining 265 plots, 152 were allotted without any lottery or notice. The remaining plots were allotted to the affected landowners.
When Awami League came to power in 2009, the chairman of CDA at the time, Shah Muhammad Akhter Uddin, gave allotment of 27 plots without any notice. These plots were given to Awami League leaders, academics, freedom fighters, journalists and businesspersons of the Awami camp. In 2014 CDA cancelled the plots based on a report of the Anti-Corruption Commission that stated these were contrary to the regulations. However, 14 persons got their plots back based on court rulings. The cases of the others in this regard are under trial.
When Abdus Salam had been chairman, he changed the design of the roads and water bodies of Ananya housing and allotted 121 plots in one go in 2013, without any notice. These plots went to Awami League ministers, MPs, leaders, professionals of the Awami ilk and CDA board members as well as officials and employees. In 2018 he allotted another four plots in Ananya and three in Kalpalok housing project without notice.
In 2006 during the BNP-Jamaat coalition government, the Kalpalok housing project covering 90 acres of land was undertaken at a cost of 2.77 billion taka (277 crore taka) in the Baklia area next to the city’s Shah Amanat bridge approach road. During the caretaker government rule in 2007, a total of 1356 plots were allotted. Later when Abdus Salam was CDA chairman, he changed the design and allotted three plots.
When asked about the irregularities in plot allotment, engineer Md Nurul Karim, given responsibility as CDA during the interim government, told Prothom Alo that there had been all sorts of irregularities in CDA in the past. Allegations have been made that 150 plots were allotted in violation of the rules and without any notice. They are now looking into what legal measures can be taken in this regard.
Plots given despite having land in the city
At the 405th board meeting held on 9 October 2013, a decision was taken to allot 121 plots. Of these, allotment was made to 59 ministers, members of parliament, Awami League leaders, board members, journalists, government officials and other persons close to Awami League. The remaining 62 were CDA officials and employees. There were allotted 3 katha to 5 katha plots.
In the ninth national parliamentary election held in 2018, candidates of the Awami League-led grand alliance won 11 of the 16 seats in Chattogram. They were all allotted plots in the 405th board meeting. Despite having paternal land as well as land and houses in their own names, Hasan Mahmud, Musharraf Hossain, ABM Fazle Karim Chowdhury, Afsarul Amin, Shamsul Huq Chowdhury, MA Latif, Nurul Islam and Saifuzzaman Chowdhury applied for plots and were given the allotments. Also given plots at the same time were ABM Abul Kasem, Dilip Barua, Mainuddin Khan Badal, Anisul Islam Mahmud, Chemon Ara Tayeb, Bir Bahadur Ushwe Sing and Dipankar Talukdar.
After the fall of the government, Musharraf Hossain, MA Latif and ABM Fazle Karim Chowdhury were arrested. Afsarul Amin has died. the other are in hiding and so their comments could not be taken on how they got the plots despite having paternal property and their own.
He had worked in my house, he had been a peon, and now he has wealth of 4 billion taka (400 crore taka). He moves about in a helicopter. That is a fact. How did he make so much money?
Sheikh Hasina, former prime minister
Special allotment on “important” consideration
Among those who received plots in Ananya residential area in 2013, other than 10 persons, the remaining 49 did not have land or plots in Chattogram city. They were given allotment on special consideration. Yet in the regulations regarding Ananya housing approved by the caretaker government in 2008, there is no such category or quota for such allotments.
Other than ministers and MPs, plots were given on special consideration to board members and Awami League leaders Mahtab Uddin Chowdhury and AHM Bahauddin Khaleque Shazi, board member and chief engineer of the railway eastern zone AKM Mahbub-Ul-Alam, CDA’s chief engineer Nasir Uddin Mahmud Chowdhury and executive magistrate Mohammad Ashraful Amin.
When Mohammad Hasan, involved in BNP politics, had been ward councillor, he had been board member as representative of the City Corporation, He also received a plot in 2013.
In 2018 too, five members of CDA got plot allotment on special consideration. They were CDA board member and Chattogram city Swechchhashebok League joint convener KBM Shahjahan, Jasim Uddin Shah, AMM Tipu Sultan Chowdhury, former Awami League ward councillor Hasan Murad’s wife Zaheda Begum, Md Jasim Uddin and Sohel Mohammad Shakur. In August 2018 a decision was taken to allot them 5 kathas each.
In three phases, 11 journalists were given 10 plot allotments. Of them, Ziauddin M Enayetullah and Moazzemul Huq’s son Hasan Zia were allotted plots in 2009. In 2013 plots were allotted to Abu Sufian, Ekramul Huq, Ali Abbas and Mohsin Kazi (jointly), SM Iftekharul Islam, Santosh Sharma and Anjan Roy. Plots were given in 2018 to Hamid Ullah and Shetu Barua.
Among freedom fighters, plots were given to M Abdul Wahab and AHM Baharuddin Khaleque Shazi. In 2009 Chittagong University’s vice chancellor the now deceased Abu Yusuf was given a plot.
Wife of Hasina’s peon got a plot
In 2013 Kamrun Nahar, the wife of Sheikh Hasina’s peon Jahangir Alam, was allotted a plot under special consideration. In July last year, when talking about action against corruption, the prime minister at the time Sheikh Hasina had referred to the corruption of a former employee of her own house. That was Jahangir. Sheikh Hasina that day had said, “He had worked in my house, he had been a peon, and now he has wealth of 4 billion taka (400 crore taka). He moves about in a helicopter. That is a fact. How did he make so much money? When I learnt about it, I took measures.”
Sheikh Hasina’s relative and Jubo League former chairman Omar Faruk Chowdhury’s son Ishtiaque Ahmed Chowdhury also received a lot.
Rules breached for officers and employees too
According to CDA’s Ananya housing project allotment regulations, 2 per cent of the plots are kept for the officers and employees. The Ananya housing project has 1725 plots. That means 35 are for the officials and employees. However, 62 plots were allotted to them. Of them, five employees favoured by chairman Abdus Salam were given plots superseding others, in violation of seniority. They were involved in Sramik League politics.
10m taka plot given for 1.5m
The cost of land in the city’s Kalpalok residential area is around 10 million (one crore) taka per katha. The plot of CDA board member Swechchhashebok League leader KBM Shahjahan cost him only 1.5 million (15 crore) taka per katha.
In the Ananya housing area, the influential persons were given plots at 600,000 taka (6 lakh taka) per katha though the market value at the time has 2 million to 2.5 million taka (20 to 25 lakh taka) per katha.
The Chattogram secretary of Shushashoner Jonno Nagorik (SHUJAN), Akhter Kabir Chowdhury, speaking to Prothom Alo, said that the property of the state and the people were looted to allot these plots in consideration of being “important” persons. This is a grievous misdeed. The chairman of CDA at the time and the officials involved in plot allotment as well as those who received the plots, must face the law.
