Government land will no longer be handed over to any organisation at symbolic prices, Finance Adviser Salehuddin Ahmed announced on Tuesday. Instead, any institution wishing to acquire such land must pay the appropriate market value.
He made the remarks following a meeting of the Advisory Committee on Economic Affairs and Public Procurement held at the Cabinet Division of the Secretariat.
Meanwhile, the Bangladesh Army has proposed to expand the Bangladesh Ordnance Factory in the Chattogram region. As part of the plan, the army has expressed interest in acquiring 54.99 acres of land belonging to Jalil Textile Mills in exchange for Tk 17 crore. The proposal to transfer the land to the army received policy-level consideration during the meeting.
When asked about the matter, Adviser Salehuddin Ahmed clarified, “They have shown interest in taking the land, but we have proposed that it should not be given at a symbolic price. From now on, no government land will be handed over to any organisation at a token rate. It must be purchased at a fair value.”
He further explained that symbolic pricing often leads to misuse of land allocations. “In many cases, when only 10 acres are needed, requests are made for 100 acres simply because the price is nominal,” he said.