27 years of Chittagong Hill Tract signed between Bangladesh Government and Chittagong Hill Tracts Association have been completed today. Although this agreement was signed on December 2, 1997, many of its conditions have not yet been implemented.
Among the basic issues of the agreement was the recognition of Chittagong Hill Tracts as a tribal-dominated area and vesting all the important departments of the district including police, land, education, health, agriculture, sports and culture in the three hill district councils under the special governance system. After the agreement, many offices were transferred to the Parishad during the tenure of different governments, but police and land offices were not given. Apart from this, the district councils have not been strengthened. The local residents have not yet elected the council. When the government comes in, they are run in tandem with the nominees of that government.
General Secretary of Rangamati District Lawyers Association Rajeev Chakma said, 'Zilla Parishad has become a big institution in the light of the agreement. Many offices have been given here, but no elections have been held in 27 years. The government that came, the government continued as it was. The rights of the hill dwellers have been ignored here. The current government has again violated the agreement by reconstituting the council.
Meanwhile, the rank of chairman and members of the council is not right. Former member of Rangamati District Council Rem Liana Pankhwa said that it is difficult to do official work.
The Ministry of Chittagong Hill Tracts Affairs has been formed in the light of the agreement. The Chittagong Hill Tracts Regional Council has been established to coordinate with the district councils. Due to the non-election of the district council, the regional council elections are also pending. Apart from this, it has somehow become ineffective due to non-regulation of the organization. Jyotirindra Bodhipriya Larma has been the chairman of the regional council since 1998, although the chairman of the district council has changed during the tenure of different governments.
When contacted, Nikhil Kumar Chakma, former chairman of Rangamati Zilla Parishad said, 'Zilla Parishad cannot run like this. To strengthen the councils, there is no alternative to elections. If the Hill Pact is implemented, both Hill and Bengalis will benefit. For that, district council and regional council elections are needed. Before that, it is necessary to finalize the voter list according to the agreement.'
Apart from this, the Chittagong Hill Tracts Land Disputes Settlement Commission Act was enacted according to the agreement to settle land disputes in the hills. Later, the commission took applications regarding the dispute, but the process of settlement did not proceed further in the face of the objections of the resettled Bengalis.
Shanti Vijay Chakma, General Secretary of CHT Headman Network said, new disputes are constantly arising due to land disputes not being resolved. Land settlement is closed. Meanwhile, unscrupulous gangs are registering land with fake documents, which is increasing the problem.
Speaking about the overall issue, Jupiter Chakma, central information secretary of Chittagong Hill Tracts Public Relations Association MN Larma team, said that 25 of the 72 clauses of the agreement have been implemented, 18 have been partially implemented and 29 have been completely unimplemented. He demanded full implementation of partial and unimplemented clauses.
Rangamati District BNP General Secretary Mamunur Rashid Mamun said, 'The agreement has failed to fulfill the expectations of the hill dwellers even after 27 years. Be it Pahari or Bengali. For the sake of establishing peace in the mountains, the agreement needs to be implemented even if it is added or subtracted.
