Implement law to save plain land indigenous people's land

Speakers at a roundtable yesterday underscored the need for proper implementation of law to save the land of indigenous people living in plain lands.

They made the observation at the roundtable titled "Handover of land to plain land indigenous people: Implementation of section 97 of the State Acquisition and Tenancy Act, 1950" in the capital's The Daily Star Centre.

Rights organisation BLAST in association with Nagorik Uddyog and the Association for Land Reform and Development (ALRD) organised the event. The organisers disseminated results of a survey, which finds some limitations of the use of the law.

Justice Md Ruhul Kuddus of the High Court division said it is possible to win the “battle” with proper implementation of the law. 

Speaking at the event, rights activist Sultana Kamal said indigenous people are being evicted from their land by various means. “Those who are involved in running the state have to be responsible for this if they do not prevent it.”

It is impossible for indigenous people to reclaim their lands from the grabbers who are well-connected to power and politics, she added.

Lawmaker Hajera Sultana, indigenous community leaders Sanjeeb Drong and Rabindranath Soren, ALRD Executive Director Shamsul Huda, Supreme Court lawyer Barrister Jyotirmoy Barua, Dhaka University Professor Shapan Adnan, and Nagorik Uddyog's Zakir Hossain also  spoke.