Further Bangalee intrusion feared

A citizens' forum yesterday demanded that the government suspend the process of setting up a university and a medical college in Rangamati, saying that these would ultimately lead to new settlements from the mainland and land grabbing in the hill tracts.
“Establishment of these institutions will have negative impacts on the hill tracts' social, cultural, economical and political aspects,” said Syed Abul Maqsud, a columnist and civic rights activist, at a press conference.
He said instead of providing necessary primary and secondary education and healthcare to the people in the Chittagng Hill Tracts (CHT), the government was going ahead with the idea of a university and medical college for “political reasons”.
Contacted, State Minister for CHT affairs Bir Bahadur Ushwe Sing said the clear goal of the university and medical college was to better educate the people in the CHT and their development.
“If there are any specific issue, which may cause problems, we are ready to discuss. But, opposing the idea outright is not a solution,” he told The Daily Star.
At the press conference organised by Nagorik Samaj, a platform of the citizens, at Dhaka Reporters Unity in the city, citizens said the government started acquiring land and evicting indigenous people at Rangamati Sadar and Kawkhali upazilas for setting up Rangamati Medical College and Rangamati Science and Technology University in 2010.
In the face of strong opposition from the indigenous people, the government apparently put on hold the process. In February last year, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina laid foundation stones for the two institutions at Rangamati Circuit House.
On May 10 this year, CHT affairs State Minister Bir Bahadur Ushwe Sing and Secretary Naba Bikram Kishore Tripura visited Rangamati as a preparation for acquiring land. The government is in the process of acquiring 50 acres of land.
Though the government took various programmes -- education for all, quality education, it is not sincere in implementing these initiatives in the hill tracts. There are innumerable villages that do not have any primary schools, and hundreds of primary schools have no quality education, said Abul Maqsud.
Also, he said, due to lack of quality teachers and infrastructures in the secondary and higher secondary schools, indigenous students cannot get good education. Therefore, they do not become eligible to go for higher education, he noted.
“Therefore, even a university and a medical college are set up in Rangamati, most indigenous students will not be eligible to study here,” Maqsud said. Instead, there will be migration of people from the mainland, which will damage the special characteristics of the hill tracts.
Bangladesh Adivasi Forum General Secretary Sanjeeb Drong said according to the CHT accord, any framing laws or undertaking development activities for the region must be consulted with the CHT Regional Council and three hill district councils, but these had been fully ignored in this case.
“Any imposed development project cannot bring any improvement of indigenous people,” he said.
Journalist Salim Samad said military establishments and Bangalee settlements since 1971 have caused eviction of thousands of indigenous people, and the process should not go on to evict them from their own land.
They demanded establishing a paramedical institution in CHT and implement the CHT accord fully before setting up any university and medical college.
Jagannath University Associate Prof Rajib Mir, rights activist Nilufar Banu, filmmaker Rashed Rhine and biodiversity researcher Pavel Partha also spoke.