The approximate value of the land, around 164 acres, at the city's Middle Halishahar and North Halishahar is about Tk 1,000 crore as per current market price, CWASA officials said.

The land was selected for developing sewerage system of the city by the authority and such an attempt of land grabbers has posed a threat to executing the project.

Salma Begum, wife of late Anowaruddin, a former Ward Commissioner of city's Majirghat area, claimed that she is the owner of around 20 out of 164 acres of land on the basis of a purchase deal with the Water Development Board and recently obtained a court judgement in favour of her claim.

But CWASA officials said the properties were owned by WDB in erstwhile Pakistan and it handed over the land to CWASA authority in 1963. Since then, the CWASA authority has been paying land tax (Khajna) against the properties regularly.

"The applicant (Salma Begum) obtained the unilateral court order as we were neither informed nor made a party in the case. Rather she made WDB as one of the parties in the case although the department does not own the land now," Chairman of the CWASA, Maksumul Hakim Chowdhury, told BSS.

Reliable sources apprehend that the land grabber syndicate has been able to get a legal support for grabbing the land in connivance with a section of unscrupulous employees in the offices of Assistant Commissioner (Land) of Chittagong Metropolitan area, WDB and due to negligence of the CWASA Estate Department.

CWASA filed a case with the 3rd Senior Assistant Judge's Court here against the land grabbers seeking a status quo on the matter and the court issued an order prohibiting sale, purchase and handing over of the lands until disposing of the case.

Some unruly people backed by the racket equipped with lethal weapons have made attempts at times to construct concrete structures on the land to justify their claim but failed. They often threatened and assaulted the CWASA employees who went to the spot for foiling their attempts.

"We informed police and RAB in writing about the land grabbers' attempts to capture the valuable government properties and sought their interference to foil the attempts," the Chairman said.

Sources said a sewerage system was immensely needed since the CWASA does not have any such system for hygienic and safe disposal of human waste.

Considering the matter, efforts from the authority were continuing for the development of a sewerage system but it could not succeed due to shortage of own fund and specific assurance from the donors regarding financial assistance for such a big scheme, officials said.

"A World Bank team visited recently the selected spot for the sewerage project and for the first time has shown interest to carry out a feasibility study on the project," a CWASA official said.

However, an evil design by the land grabbers' syndicate to capture the land may make the project uncertain, the sources said.