|
Speakers at a roundtable Friday said that the prevailing crisis over land in the Chittagong Hill Tracts (CHT) could not be resolved applying laws of the plains, reports BDNEWS.
The crisis would have to be resolved by applying local laws based on traditional hill culture, they said at a discussion titled "Land in the Chittagong Hill Tracts: Rights of Hill People, Peace Treaty, Existing Law and Responsibilities" held at the city's YWCA auditorium.
Association for Land Reform and Development (ALRD) and Global Network for the Prevention of Torture (GNPT) jointly organised the event with ALRD chairperson Khushi Kabir in the chair.
Speakers underlined the need for complete implementation of the peace treaty.
Deputy Minister for CHT Affairs Moni Shawpan Dewan was the chief guest at the discussion. Editor of the New Age Nurul Kabir, Dalem Chandra Barman, Sadeka Halim and ALRD Executive Director Shamsul Huda, among others, spoke on the occasion.
GNPT Coordinator Fazlus Sattar and president of the Khagrachhari Headmen Association Shaktipad Tripura presented the keynote paper.
Moni Shawpan Dewan urged the authority concerned to maintain vigil during solving the land crisis so that regional problems did not flare up again.
"The crisis must be resolved as per the 'Peace Treaty'. We adopted several moves including cancellation of illegal lease in this regard. But implementation of such a peace treaty is a continuous process", he said adding the next government must be sincere regarding implementation of the treaty.
The New Age editor said, "We will have to find out a solution to the crisis keeping in mind the needs of the hill people so that they could live in harmony. It needs political commitment and integrated democratic view", he added.
Shaktipad Tripura expressed the opinion that allowing settlement of Bangalees in hill districts from 1979 to '83 had complicated the land problem of the region.
|