Muhith spells out way to develop haor areas

Finance Minister AMA Muhith said yesterday that formation of a parliamentary caucus with representatives from haor (water body) areas would help bring about development of the haor vicinities in the northeastern region of the country.
“A parliamentary caucus will lead to good results by mainstreaming advancement of haor areas,” he said replying to proposals from the discussants at a seminar on the development views of haor people in the context of national budget.
Haor Declaration 2008 Implementation Committee organised the programme where former agriculture adviser CS Karim, Bangladesh Economic Association (BEA) President Qazi Kholiquzzaman Ahmad and some lawmakers spoke among others.
Muhith, who proposed a Tk 113,819 crore budget for fiscal 2009-10, said allocation for the development of the water body areas is small in absence of any project.
In the proposed budget, the minister pledged to improve drainage system to facilitate multiple cropping in the haor areas where livelihoods depend largely on a single crop a year and sweet water fishing.
Nearly two crore people in seven districts of the northeastern belt of the country live in the haor areas, comprising about 25,000 square kilometres, according to the organiser of the programme.
In his budget speech, Muhith, also a lawmaker from a constituency in the northeastern part, Sylhet, said: “In the next fiscal year, we will put before you the special initiatives intended to address the problems of haor areas.”
The minister however said the main challenge is to integrate haor people into the mainstream development process.
“We need to motivate people for the development of the region. We also need to develop communication system for bringing people to the mainstream,” he said.
The minister hoped that the master plan prepared by the Haor Development Board will enable the government to take steps for the advancement of the areas.
CS Karim also stressed the need for bringing haor people to the mainstream development process and said special focus should be given to develop agriculture system in those areas.
He also recommended establishing common fishing rights for the people in haor areas where influential and relatively well-off people control the water bodies.
“Mafia or syndicate is active almost everywhere. Nothing good can be done for the development of haor areas or others unless this vicious cycle of syndicate is broken,” said Kholiquzzaman.
Two lawmakers from northeastern haor areas Matiur Rahman and Rebeka Momin took part in the discussion moderated by information technology specialist and a citizen from haor region Mustafa Jabbar.