There is a ray of hope that an initiative will be taken to rehabilitate 21 indigenous families evicted in Babuchhara of Khagrachhari for construction of BGB-51 Battalion camp over a couple of years ago.

The evicted families are hopeful about the initiative as their representatives and local people's representatives held a meeting with the officials of Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) on March 13. Both sides are now hopeful about a solution to the problem.

Chandra Ranjan Chakma, chairman of Dighinala Union Parishad, said besides the evicted families, 10 other families were affected due to setting up of the camp.

"We have demanded rehabilitation of the 21 families and

compensation to the 10 affected affected families. We are hopeful that the initiative going to be taken by BGB will solve the problem".

During a recent visit to the area, this correspondent found that the 21 families have been living for more than two years in an abandoned tin shed house and a shanty owned by the agriculture department beside Dighinala-Babuchhara road. The families were evicted on lune 10 in 2014.

After being evicted, they took shelter at nearby Babuchhara High School. Three months later they shifted to their present shelter and since then they have been living a sub-human life there.

Shantosh Kumar Chakma, (Karbari) head of Shashimohan Para, said due to war-like situation in Chittagong Hill Tracts, he took

shelter in Pancharam Refugee camp in Tripura in 1989. Following an agreement between Bangladesh government and the representatives of the refugees, he returned in 1998. In 2014, he was again evicted and now he is homeless in own country.

They are now living a subhuman life since the eviction, he said.

Dighinala upazila Chairman Naba Kamoi Chakma said, "Seeing the present attitude of BGB I am hopeful that a way to solve the problem will be found soon. I am maintaining contact with both sides".

Lt Col Md Iqbal Hossain, commander of BGB-51 Battalion, said some misunderstanding may have arisen between the BGB and local people during setting up of the camp.

They sent a proposal to the BGB director general to rehabilitate the families considering the issue from a humanitarian angle, he said.

The battalion commander also said, "We hope to find a positive outcome soon."

BGB-51 Babuchhara Battalion was formed on May 18 in 2013. Some 45 acres of land were acquired for the purpose. Indigenous people of three paras were affected by it.

Although the indigenous people have been claiming that the acquired land belongs to them they do not have any documents to support their claim, said the BGB official.

However, the indigenous people claim that they own the land through tradition and have been living on the land for long.