A parliamentary standing committee yesterday asked the authorities concerned to scrap lease of about 27,250 acres of land in three hill districts for violating the lease contract given to 545 organisations and individuals.

The parliamentary standing committee on Chittagong Hill Tracts (CHT) affairs ministry also asked the ministry officials to ensure accountability and transparency of non-government organisations working in the hill areas.

"The committee in its meeting asked the deputy commissioner of Bandarban, Khagrachhari and Rangamati to take necessary steps to cancel lease of the hill lands allocated to as many as 545 individuals and organisations," Bir Bahadur Ushwe Sing, a member of the committee, said.

The CHT affairs ministry informed the committee that an inter-ministerial meeting will be held in the current week to this end.

Talking to The Daily Star, Bir Bahadur, also a ruling Awami League lawmaker, said, "The committee also asked the deputy commissioners to identify other organisations and individuals who have failed to meet lease conditions and cancel their lease."

About 50 acres of land were allocated to each of the individuals and organisations upon the condition that they will plant trees on those lands, he said, adding that the said organisations did not plant any tree on the lands though those were allocated 10 years back.

About transparency of the NGOs working in the hill areas, Capt Ghyas Uddin Ahmed, another member of the committee, said the committee has asked the ministry concerned to prepare a complete list of NGOs working in the three hill districts.

"We don't know how many NGOs are there and what they are doing. So, the committee asked the CHT affairs ministry to prepare a complete list for bringing transparency and accountability in their works," Ghyas Uddin, also a ruling Awami League lawmaker, told The Daily Star.

When the court asked Mamun whether he wanted to say the incident of killings did not take place, the counsel said it is true that Bangabandhu and his family members were killed. His clients were not involved in the incident but rather a third force was involved in it, the counsel said.

Mamun said many contradictions are there in the statements of the prosecution witnesses in this case and his client will be proved innocent if those are considered.

The court said according to the provision of article 103 of the constitution, the Appellate Division cannot hear arguments on the statements that had already been placed at trial court.

Mamun said the Appellate Division is the last resort to seek justice. If the court does not hear arguments on the statements, there will be no place for his clients to seek justice.

The five-member bench of the Appellate Division headed by Justice Md Tafazzul Islam adjourned the hearing till 9:30am today.

The committee will hold a coordination meeting with those NGOs in the Chittagong Hill Tracts affairs ministry soon to this end," he added.

The committee asked the authority concerned to take all measures to ensure peaceful environment in the hill districts, he said.

The committee also evaluated the implementation of different sections and sub-sections of CHT peace treaty.

Chaired by Muhammad Shah Alam, the newly appointed chairman of the committee, the meeting was attended, among others, by Dipankar Talukder, state minister for CHT affairs ministry, Jatindra Lal Tripura and KM Khalid.