She said, “People live in the CHT are the citizen
of our country, so they must enjoy their rights on land as like other citizens.
We have to ensure it and I hope that CHT ministry will take proper step in this
regard.”
The Prime Minister said this while addressing the
officials of the Ministry of Chittagong Hill Tracts Affairs at Bangladesh
Secretariat.
She visited the ministry as part of her plan to
exchange views with the officials of the ministries and departments about the
development issues and provide necessary guideline.
Sheikh Hasina said, her government is making all
efforts for execution of the CHT Peace Accord so that ‘wind of peace’ is flown
in the Chittagong Hill Tracts (CHT) and local people get its benefit.
“We want to do everything required for
socio-economic development of the CHT. It’s very important for the region as
its people suffered most for more than two decades,” she said.
Terming the dispute on ownership of land as the
root cause of the CHT problem, the Prime Minister said the government has taken
initiative for resolving the problem. “The new chairman of the CHT land
commission has already been appointed and the full commission will be constituted
very soon,” she said hoping that everybody would extend support to resolve the
problem.
State Minister for CHT Affairs ministry Bir
Bahadur also spoke on the occasion while Secretary Naba Bikram Kishore Tripura
and senior officials were present.
Without naming anybody Prime Minister Sheikh
Hasina said many people now come to the CHT and show their guardianship. Some
of them show their attitude as like friends and well-wisher of the hilly
people, giving them different advices.
“But I want to say that the hilly people are our
citizens, none except we will see their goods and bads so deeply. She said, “We
have signed the peace accord on our own. During the time of hard time of hilly
people those friends were not allowed to visit the area and they didn’t raise any
voice against this at that time.”
She added,”Now taking the advantage of the peace
accord they come here like as friend but I’m not clear about their intention.
We have to remain always careful about ensuring the rights of every citizen by
protecting out independence and sovereignty as well as carrying out development
activities of the CHT.”
Sheikh Hasina said a positive discussion is going
on the problems lies with the land law. Both sides should come to an agreement
to resolve the problem, she said adding her government is very much careful
about it.
She said the government has amended the CHT
Development Board Ordinance 1973 to expedite the development of the CHT. The
amendment enhanced the financial capacity of the CHT Development Board to take
project up to Taka two crore.
The Prime Minister said the government has
allocated 1.96 acres of land at Baily Road in the capital for construction of
“CHT Complex” to fulfill the aspiration of the CHT people. She asked the
ministry officials to launch the construction work of the complex without
further delay.
Sheikh Hasina said the government has already
implemented 48 clauses out of total 72 in the CHT Peace Accord. Fifteen clauses
were implemented partially while execution of nine others remained under process.
She said the government has so far implemented
1,246 projects in different sectors including agriculture, education, religion,
communications, infrastructure, health, sports and culture. Steps were also
taken for ensuring the food security of the hilly people and facilitate the
children of different ethnicities in their mother tongue.
She said the Awami League during its previous
tenure increased the allowance of the Circles Chiefs, Headmen and Karfbaris.
Sheikh Hasina said Rangamati Nursing Institute, offices
of Jubo Unnayan and Bangladesh Agriculture Development Corporation (BADC) in
Khagrachhari and zonal office of Cotton development board were set up as part
of execution of the CHT peace accord.
She said the unrest situation in the hill tracts
was very painful for us as a nation. About 64,000 refugees were living in
India. It was not proper for us to live in other countries as refugees, she
said.
Sheikh Hasina said, “In many countries arms were
not surrendered after reaching in a truce with insurgents. But Bangladesh was a
rare example that the rebels surrendered their arms with a very short time
after signing of the peace accord. At the same time, the government has taken
steps for rehabilitation of the refugees.”
Highlighting the background of the CHT Peace
Accord, Sheikh Hasina said signing and execution of the accord was not so easy
as the BNP and its allies vehemently oppose this. Even they enforced hartal on
the day of signing the treaty and arms surrender.
Thousands of Indian flags were hoisted in the CHT
areas to claiming that the accord made Bangladesh territory up to Feni district
as a part of India, she said. “Overcoming all those false propaganda and
barrier the peace accord was signed,” she noted.
The Prime minister said after signing of the CHT
accord, her government has been working sincerely for its full execution. “A
separate ministry was formed and a committee was constituted for implementation
of the peace treaty,” she said.
Sheikh Hasina said, most of the problems of the
CHT were created by the post-1975 governments willfully. They sent thousands of
people in the CHT for settlement and many untoward incidents were happened,
which were totally unacceptable.
The government has undertaken massive programmes
for development of the area. The ultimate goal is to attain self dependency of
the people of the region, enlighten them with education and ensure their access
to basic rights.
The prime minister urged the CHT ministry to
prepare a plan for the hill districts where to construct preprimary and primary
school, residential and non-residential schools, community healthcare centres
and communications.
Special care should be given to the healthcare
system of the CHT area and health care center and hospitals should be
constructed in this line, she said.
Sheikh Hasina said the government has already
taken steps for construction of roads, bridges and culverts in the CHT. As
well, the government has attached importance on producing varieties of fruits
and vegetable and other corns and crops.
The government has encouraged cultivation of
maize and other economic crops in some areas of the CHT which was used earlier
for drugs. The Prime minister said she has already talked to the ministry of
agriculture to encourage farmers for cultivation of economic crops. CHT
ministry would have to come with proper planning in this regard, she added.
The Prime
Minister said, her government wants to create income generating projects in the
CHT including development of small and cottage industries and agro-processing
industries and proper marketing of their produces.
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