Work Stalled at Madaripur's Tk 37 Crore Ecopark, 23 of 24 Families Still Await Compensation

Construction of an ecopark at Charmugaria in Madaripur Sadar Upazila has been stalled for a long time over land-acquisition complications. Local residents who have not received compensation have blocked the work. With no maintenance or supervision, structures built at a cost of crores of taka are falling into disrepair, most materials have been stolen, and the whole site has become overgrown.

According to local sources and the Madaripur Forest Division, the Faridpur Social Forest Division took the initiative to build the ecopark at Nayachar, on the bank of the Kumar River in Kumrakhali mouza of Charmugaria. The first phase was approved at Tk 31 crore 73 lakh 82 thousand, later revised to Tk 32 crore 24 lakh.

Construction began in 2020 and was due to finish in December 2023. A second revision to modernise the project then raised the cost to Tk 36 crore 79 lakh 85 thousand. Work under the second revision on the 10.36-acre site began in December 2023 and was due to end in June 2025.

But residents' obstruction halted the work in October 2024, and when work was attempted again in late 2025, local people blocked it once more.

Forest Division sources said 24 families in Nayachar gave up their land for the ecopark on assurances of compensation, but only one family has received the money; the rest are still waiting. The ministry concerned has formed an investigation committee, and a case over the matter is also pending in court.

A recent on-site visit found bricks missing from roads inside the ecopark, and nothing left of the stockpiled bricks, sand and rods kept for construction. Inside stand a large pond with a built ghat, four picnic spots, a water tank, an orchid house, two toilet zones, a staff zone, a three-storey office building, a treatment centre for monkeys and a children's corner, among other structures — all now dirty and neglected for lack of maintenance.

Residents said that with work stopped for so long and no supervision, the area has filled with bushes, and drug users have taken to gathering in the quiet, unkempt grounds.

Several affected people, speaking on condition of anonymity, said: 'We have received no compensation, so we obstructed the construction. Once the work is finished, we will never get any money.'

Madaripur Forest Division official Md Jahangir Alam said Tk 2 crore 6 lakh was allocated for compensation after the list of affected people was sent to the ministry, and the money was handed to the then deputy commissioner in June 2023. One person was paid, but the others have still not received their money because of complications including the then deputy commissioner's transfer.

The same official said that although about 80 percent of the construction is complete, the work could not be finished in the face of obstruction by the affected people on two occasions.