The river Gutiyakhali used to flow through the village Durgapur of Ashshuni Sadar Union under AshasJumi Upzilla of Satkhira district. Now it is like a small cannel. The alluvial land of Gutiyakhali river had been taken by Government as agricultural khasland category and was distributed among the landless people.
Abdul Jalil Sana (32), son of Md. Jofel Sana received a piece of khasland on the river side of Durgapur village with the assistance of Uttaran Manusher Jonno Foundation funded APAR project. He has two sons and a daughter. His sons study in class nine and five respectively and the girl is in class one now. Previously Jalil Sana had no land. His father is also landless and living with his other sons and daughter in the village of Mirzapur of Assasuni Sadar union. As a day labour, poverty was no exception in his life. He could not even manage food for his family regularly. Jalil Sana along with his mother came to know that many landless people were settling in the alluvial land of the river Gutiyakhali. They found that already 15 to 20 families settled there. He talked to the others settlers and marked a piece of land to possess. Some of the land grabbers warned the inhabitants to leave the land and go somewhere else. The landless settler did not know the legal procedure of registering the land.
At that time in 2010, APAR project staff Nasima Khatun visited that place and had a meeting with them on land rights issue. Then Uttaran formed two primary groups named ‘Sundarban’ and ‘Niharika landless primary organisation’ at that village. Ialil Sana became the member of ‘Niharika landless primary organisation’, In 2011 these two groups were linked with the Union Gono Unnyan Federation and the Civil Society Committee ‘Bhumi Committee” and with the help of the federation and Bhumi Committee, Jalil Sana and their group member applied for khasland on a permanent basis to the Assistant Commissioner (AC-land) land office. Uttaran provided technical assistance to prepare the map, case file and other related documents and submitted these documents to District Agricultural Khasland Settlement and Management Committee. Through vigorous advocacy and communication, the Government officials approved the applications of the groups and the land registry office registered their land. In 14 August, all 57 families of ‘Sundarban, and ‘Niharika landless primary organisation’ received their land deeds from Honorable Health Minister AFM Ruhul Haque. On that day Jalil Sana received a deed of 3 decimal khasland. Uttaran provided BDT 3,000 (interest free loan) to each khasland receiver family in order to encourage the productive use of the land or enhancing their income. The wife of Jalil Sana started chicken and goat rearing with the money. Jalil Sana also procured a van-rickshaw from their family savings. Through this van-rickshaw he earns more. Presently, his monthly family income is more than BDT8000. His children are going to school. He wants to build better future of his children. Jalil Sana and his family are not landless anymore. Jalil Sana and other 47 families of the mentioned two groups had built tin-shed houses with the help from the government. Sanitary latrines were installed in every house. The UNO helped them to set up a school for the local children.
