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Disputes, Cases Pile up in CHT

Land Commission fails to get green light in 11 yrs

7 June 2009, 18:00 PM

NATIONAL

Shantimoy Chakma, Rangamati

Full implementation of Chittagong Hill Tracts (CHT) peace accord remains uncertain as the Land Commission formed to resolve land disputes in CHT is yet to be made functional 11 years after its inception. As per the peace deal signed in 1998, the then Awami League government formed a five-member CHT Land Commission for resolving the land related disputes in CHT. A former chief justice serves as chairman of the commission while chairman of the CHT Regional Council or his representative and an additional commissioner work as its members. Depending on the area the commission works, one of the three circle chiefs (Chakma Circle, Bomang Circle and Moung Circle) and one of the chairmen of the three hill district councils work as members of the commission. As the successive governments failed to take proper steps to make the commission functional, land settlement process in CHT faces serious hindrance and a large number of applications from both Bangali and indigenous people have remained piled up at the offices of concerned circle chiefs and deputy commissioners, sources said. With thousands of land related cases in the courts of three hill districts remaining unresolved, land dispute has become a most complicated issue in the CHT, they said. Steps should be taken to make the Land Commission functional to resolve land disputes in CHT and it is a must for full execution of the peace accord, political analysts observe. Meanwhile the posts of chairman, secretary and registrar of the commission are currently lying vacant. During past BNP-led four-party alliance rule, the Land Ministry issued a directive to the upazila nirbahi officers in CHT for preparation of necessary documents to give indigenous people ownership of the land that they have been cultivating for long. But it was later cancelled through an order from the CHT Affairs Ministry, sources said. Former Land Commission secretary Dipen Dewan, who was also a joint district judge, said he had completed preparations to recruit manpower for the commission but it could not be done due to what he said non-cooperation of the then chairman of the commission. There is scope for abuse of power as the commission chairman has been given absolute power in taking any decision, said Dipen Dewan. He suggested appointing a working justice as chairman of the commission to make it functional. CHT Regional Council member Ushatan Talukder, who is also a top leader of Parbatya Chattagram Jana Sanghati Samity (PCJSS), said, “We submitted a proposal to the government for bringing reforms into the Land Commission to make it functional but to no effect.” A few PCJSS leaders also suggested bringing reforms into the Peace Accord Implementation Committee to make it 'effective'. Replying to a query, State Minister for CHT Affairs Ministry Dipankar Talukder said the government is aware of the problems and the steps to resolve issues are 'under process'.