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CHT land body sits idle for six years

JS body blames ministries for ignoring PM's directive

Staff Correspondent
A parliamentary body yesterday blamed the land and establishment ministries for making the Chittagong Hill TYacts (CHT) land commission dysfunctional ignoring the prime minister’s directive to
make it functional.
The land commission formed in 1999 to settle land disputes in the CHT could not start functioning in the last six years, observed the parliamentary standing committee on CHT affairs ministry al a meeting FROM PAGE 1 held in camera.
The government formed the commission in accordance with the CHT peace accord initially for a three-year term, but later extended its tenure twice. The tenure of the present commission will expire in November 2007.
Following a directive of the PM, the CHT affairs ministry in 2003 asked the land ministry to recruit necessary manpower to make the commission functional but the land ministry did not appoint staff against the sanctioned postsin the commission.
As the three-year tenure of the posts had expired, the land ministry last month requested the establishment ministry to extend the tenure of the posts, the CHT affairs ministry said in a report submitted to the parliamentary body.
Reviewing the report, the parliamentary body blasted the chairman of the land commission for not initiating any step to make the commission functional, sources said.
The meeting observed that recruitment of manpower in the commission could not be possible due to bureaucratic tangles between the land and establishment ministries.
The parliamentary committee asked the commission to start functioning immediately to resolve the land disputes which are a major problem in the CHT.
"It is unfortunate that the commission could not yet start working due to the bureaucratic tangles," Committee Chairman Mosharraf Hossain told The Daily Star after the meeting held at the Jatiya Sangsad Bhaban.
"We are ready to extend all-out cooperation to the land commission in performingits assigned tasks," he said.
Responding to the lawmakers' criticism, the land commission chairman told the meeting that he could not convene a meeting of the commission as he has not yet received the official gazette on the formation of the commission.
"Drawing remuneration without work is a matter of discomfort for me. I
want to work but nobody filed any case to the land commission," he said.
Replying to the commission chairman, the parliamentary committee chairman said people do not know about the commission. That's why they are not filing complaints.
Following the High Court's nomination the government appointed retired Justice AM Mahmudur Rahman chairman of the commission on October 10, 2001. Dipen Dewan, a deputy secretary-ranked official, was appointed the secretary.
Tenure of the chairman expired in October last year and he got extension for another three years as the commission could not start functioning.
The other members of the commission are the CHT regional council chairman or his nominated representative, chairmen of the three hill district councils, three circle chiefs, and Chittagong divisional commissioner or his representative.
BUREAUCRATIC TANGLE
The CHT ministry in its report said the nine-member land commission was assigned to settle land disputes in the CHT. The establishment ministry on September 8, 1999 created 11 posts apart from the chairman and secretary of the commission.
The CHT affairs ministry on July 22, 2003 requested the land ministry to appoint the 11 third and fourth class employees but the land ministry said it did not have surplus manpower to work in the commission on deputation.
Later the CHT affairs ministry asked the establishment ministry to take necessary steps. But the establishment ministry said the posts of the land commission were created on temporary basis and that their tenure has already expired.
Finally, the land ministry requested the establishment ministry on March 23 this year to extend the tenure of the posts in the land commission, said the report.