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Stop encroachment on land of indigenous people

Speakers tell seminar

Staff Corri spondent
Indigenous people will continue to sutler land related problems unless Bangalee settlers are withdrawn from the hilly region and camps of army. BDR. police and Ansar are removed, speakers at a seminar said yesterday.
They made the observation following a disclosure of findings of a research that the lands of ethnic communities are being encroached with the help of law enforcement agencies and even through secret government notification for rehabilitation of Bangalees in the region over the years.
It is unfortunate that even some NGOs are taking control of the land of indigenous people by any means supported by international donors, said Workers Party President Rashed Khan Menon MP in his speech as die chief guest.
Association for Land Reform and Development organised the seminar on 'Real circumstances ol Adivasi people losing land and Chittagong Hill Uacls Treaty perspective' at YWCA auditorium in thccity.
"To build a peaceful society, we have to instil a sense of security in indigenous people so that they do not have the fear of losing their land," said columnist Syed Abul Maksud.
Researchers Shaktipada
Tripura and Ilira Dewan presented separate papers on the findings of the research.
According to the papers, 1356 square miles of land were encroached in 1870 in the name of protecting the forest, and 54,000 acres land in between 1959 and 1962 for building the Kaptai dam, affecting the lifestyle of indigenous people and making them refugees.
In between 1979 and 1986, a total of 80,000 Bangalee families were rehabilitated in the hilly region on 920,000 acres of lands belonging to the ethnic communities, the researchers said.
"In 1992, around 2.18 lakh acres of land were declared as newly protected forest land while thousands of acres of land were leased out for industrialisation in the area on different occasions, affecting the livelihoods of indigenous people."
According to the paper, army camps were set up in 75.686 acres of land only in Bandarban while 40,077 acres of land were encroached by different companies, individuals and bureaucrats in the district.
“At present, indigenous people and permanent Bangalees in the hilly areas have 0.08 hectares of cultivable land per head compared to 0.20 hectares in other parts of the country."
The researchers also recommended putting an end to land encroachment in the hilly region, taking stern action against encroachers, making police and land administration more effective, implementing CHI Peace Accord, and giving constitutional recognition to indigenous people and ensuring their land rights.