The government is set to start investigation soon to take stock of its abandoned commercial assets in 15 districts of the country, officials said.
The government will carry out the investigation aiming to recover its illegally-occupied properties.
The districts are: Dhaka, Khulna, Lalmonirhat, Sylhet, Thakurgaon, Dinajpur, Rangpur, Naogaon, Nilphamari, Bogura, Rajshahi, Mymensingh, Kurigram, Pabna and Gaibandha.
To this effect, the Ministry of Commerce (MoC) formed a seven-member high-powered committee on January 20 with its additional secretary Dr Shah Alam as the convener.
The committee will investigate such abandoned properties in those districts.
Two members of the committee will be sent to each district for investigation and updating the status of the government's abandoned commercial properties.
The ministry would ask deputy commissioners concerned for necessary cooperation to this end, a source concerned said.
When contacted, deputy secretary of the commerce ministry and member of the committee Md Abul Kalam Azad said the ministry would begin investigation relating to the government's abandoned commercial assets. The government would take a pragmatic decision after completion of the investigation.
He, however, said the teams would go to those districts and start probe as early as possible.
According to a gazette notification, there are huge abandoned commercial properties in 18 districts.
Earlier, the commerce ministry had completed such scrutiny in Chattogram, Jashore and Chandpur, out of 18 districts, to identify the abandoned properties under the ministry.
The teams will submit their reports to the commerce ministry for further action after reviewing the investigation.
The properties will be recovered in line with the 'Abandoned Property (Control, Management and Disposal) Order 1972 (PO 16 of 1972)'.
Different groups, quarters and political leaders have illegally occupied the government's abandoned commercial properties worth billions of taka.
There are huge abandoned commercial properties in Chattogram, Jashore and Chandpur.
Local businessmen and residents have long been calling for recovering the abandoned commercial properties.
