A crucial meeting to break the impasse between the government and the Parbattya Chattagram Jana Sanghati Samity (PCJSS) on the formation of Regional Council for the Chittagong Hill Tracts (CHT) was being held at Khagrachhari last night.

Minister for CHT Affairs Kalparanjan Chakma and chief of PCJSS and chairman designate of the RC Jyotirindriya Bodhipriya Larma alias Shantu Larma were holding the talks, according to reports received in Dhaka late last night.

The meeting started at 8:35 pm and was continuing at 11:20 pm, according to Deputy Commissioner of Khagrachhari Zafrul Hasan. He could not give details.

Shantu Larma was accompanied by his close aides Ushatan Talukder. Rupayan Dewan, Suddasindhu Chakma and Gautam Chakma.

The meeting took place against the backdrop of sharp differences between the two

sides since the government announced formation of an interim RC headed by Shantu Larma on September 6.

Earlier. Larma had refused to meet the CHT affairs minister on Wednesday. His aides said he was not formally invited.

Larma's supporters staged demonstrations against the minister on Thursday and hurled rocks at his vehicle, forcing him to take shelter at Panchnari school.

Police fought the rock throwing demonstrators with batons and tear gas. Ten people including four policemen were wounded.

But behind the scene negotiations continued and the two sides agreed to meet to narrow the gap between them.

Larma had earlier declined to accept the interim RC, accusing the government of replacing three nominees out of six Bengalee representatives in the 22-member council. On many occasions, he also expressed dissatisfaction over a number of government steps and accused it of violating written and unwritten accords' reached during the long negotiations leading to the CHT peace treaty signed in December last

Envisaged to oversee law and order, development and local government, the RC dominated y tribesmen also have six members from the Bengali settlers. .

But Larma alleged that the names of three of his nominees were dropped.

The government had refuted his allegations and Kalparan-jan Chakma indicated that it was contemplating alternative measures to break the standoff on RC.

Although he did not elaborate. there had been speculations that an alternative chairman was being searched and Upendra Lal Chakma was being tipped in place of Larma.

Besides, the government is also preparing to announce schedules for election to the RC.