CHT Land Commission resolves no dispute in 16 years [ Tritiyo Matra News ]

CHT Land Commission resolves no dispute in 16 years

Local August 09, 2015

The Chittagong Hill Tracts Land Dispute Resolution Commission remains ineffective as it has failed to resolve any dispute in 16 years, while the International Day of the World’s Indigenous Peoples will be observed today in Bangladesh as elsewhere across the world.
The day will be observed with the theme ‘Post 2015 Agenda: Ensuring indigenous peoples’ health and well-being’ with various programmes.
Land ministry officials blamed ‘non-cooperation’ of ethnic minorities for the failure of the commission, while the commission, ethnic minorities, rights activists and experts blamed ‘contradictory provisions stipulated in the CHT Land Disputes Resolution Commission Act 2001.
The Parbatya Chattagram Jana Sanghati Samiti president, Jyotirindra Bodhipriya Larma, also known as Santu Larma, told New Age in the past week, ‘The government is killing time in amending the 2001 act.’
‘Government is increasingly complicating the land related problems of the CHT area instead of resolving it’ he alleged.
A National Human Rights Commission report in November 2014 said, ‘It is the understanding of the National Human Rights Commission of Bangladesh that the resolution of land disputes is the key to an overall peaceful situation in the region. The Land Commission set up to deal with these issues proved incapable and failed to gain the trust and confidence of the CHT people.’
The land minister, Shamsur Rahman Sherif, however, said, ‘The work of the CHT land commission is a continuous process and it is working hard to settle land disputes and will take necessary steps.’
Justice Anwarul Haque Chowdhury was appointed the first chairperson of the commission in 1999, but he died before taking charge. Justice Abdul Karim was appointed chairperson in 2000, but he resigned on health ground.
On July 12, 2001, the day before handing over charge to the caretaker government, the then Awami League government hurriedly passed the CHT Land Disputes Resolution Commission Act 2001 allegedly without taking into account advice and recommendations given by the CHT Regional Council.
Justice Mahmudur Rahman was appointed the commission chairperson in November 2001 and till his death in 2007 he failed to resolve any dispute in the face of opposition from hill organisations, who demanded amendment to the act.
Justice Khademul Islam Chowdhury was appointed chairman in July 2009 and current chairperson Mohammad Anwarul Haque was appointed in September 2014.
Around 5,000 disputes were filed with the commission and the commission primarily sorted out 3,000 of them for hearing, said top land ministry officials.
On June 16, 2013 the CHT Land Disputes Resolution Commission (Amendment) Bill 2013 was tabled in parliament seeking amendment to the act and it was sent to the parliamentary standing committee on the land ministry.
Ethnic minority organisations, however, expressed concerns saying that the bill ignored some of the 13-point proposals for amendment to the act made by the CHT affairs ministry and the CHT Regional Council and approved by the CHT Accord Implementation Committee and an inter-ministerial meeting held on July 30, 2012 chaired by the then law minister Shafique Ahmed.
International Chittagong Hill Tracts Commission in a statement on Saturday demanded immediate amendment of the 2001 act.
Santu Larma alleged that hill people’s lands were being grabbed in the name of setting up border guard camps, tourist zone and reserve forest.
‘Government and non government people got lease of about 3,910 acres of land in CHT in 2014 and 84,640 acres on the process lease, while forest department had declared 2.18 lakh acres of land reserved,’ said Santu, who on behalf of PCJSS inked the accord with the government on December 2, 1997.
The land minister said that the amendment bill is now pending with parliamentary standing committee and they would submit report soon. ‘I cannot tell the exact date,’ he added.
Two members of the committee Mokbul Hossain and Akabbar Hossain, however, said that they were not aware about the latest position of the bill, while committee chairman Rezaul Karim Hira could not be reached over mobile phone for comments.
A numbers of political and rights organisations have taken elaborate programmes marking the International Day of the World’s Indigenous Peoples. The government, however, has taken no programme.
Bangladesh Indigenous Peoples Forum will hold a rally and cultural programme at Central Shahid Minar in the capital.
Kapaeeng Foundation and Action-Aid Bangladesh will hold a discussion on ‘Adivasi-led tourism and development: the role of the government’ on Wednesday at the same place.
Manusher Jonno Foundation will hold a two-day fair from today with participation of different ethnic minorities at Bangla Academy.
Jatiya Adivasi Parishad will organise rallies human chain and cultural programme in Jaipurhat, Thakurgaon, Nachol in Chapainawanganj, Rajshahi and Dinajpur today.
Adivasi Chatra Parishad will organise rally at Rajshahi University, Bogra and Satkhira marking the day.