Govt to rehabilitate one lakh displaced families

The government has decided to rehabilitate more than one lakh families who returned from India and those who were displaced internally at Chattogram Hill Tracts (CHT).

The decision was taken at a meeting of the taskforce for 'Repatriation and rehabilitation of refugees back from India, and identification and rehabilitation of internally-displaced people' yesterday at Chittagong Circuit House.

The taskforce, which was formed soon after the signing of the CHT Peace Accord in 1997, has finalised the list of the displaced families. The list will soon be sent to the ministry concerned to start the rehabilitation process.

Lawmaker Kujendro Lal Tripura, the chairman of the taskforce, told The Daily Star that the taskforce has identified 81,777 internally-displaced families and 21,900 families who sought refuge in India due to the unrest in the hill tracts, and came back home after the treaty at different times.

Under the rehabilitation programme, government will build their homes, provide ration and give them back their land, Kujendro Lal Tripura said.

He said government employees who had fled the country during the unrest and returned after signing of the treaty have been given back their jobs.

“The government is trying to ensure peace in the hills. The rehabilitation will accelerate the peace process,” he hoped.

Abdul Mannan, divisional commissioner of Chattogram, also member secretary of the taskforce; and Nurul Alam Nizami, additional divisional commissioner  (development)  of Chattogram; were present at the meeting, among others.