Move to resolve land dispute with Khasia people
At last the district administration has taken initiative to resolve the land related problems of indigenous people living in different forest areas of Moulvibazar district.
The administration at a recent meeting decided to form committees at district and upazila levels to resolve the land dispute between indigenous people and forest department.
Moulvibazar deputy commissioner, members of joint force, forest department officials, leaders of indigenous communities and Union Parishad leaders were present at the meeting.
Hundreds of cases on land dispute between indigenous people and forest department are pending with courts, the sources said.
The Indigenous people say that they are living and using forest lands for generations. They have been contributing to the national economy through betel leaf and jhum cultivation, which are their only sources of income.
They always preserve forest for their own interest, while the forest department says indigenous people have occupied government forest lands and are destroying forest resources.
There are large number of betel leaf gardens (Paan Punjee) in hills of Srimongal, Kamalganj, Kulaura, Baralekha, Rajnagar and Juri upazilas in Moulvibazar district. About 10,000 Khasia people live there and cultivate betel leaf.
Talking to this correspondent, indigenous community leaders Monika Khangla, Anil Yang and Kailash Suchiung said they are using the lands since British period through payment of revenue.
After land survey in 1956, the land were recorded in the name of concerned Punjee chiefs.
They claimed that they are being harassed by forest department through false cases.
Abul Bashar Miah, divisional forest officer (DFO) in Sylhet, claimed that the indigenous Khasia community people created betel leaf gardens on forest lands.
Deputy Commissioner Md Alkama Siddiquee said, "I have taken initiative to resolve the land ownership problem. To find a way out, committees at district and upazila levels were formed. We convinced the indigenous leaders that we are their brothers and are sincere to solve their problems".
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