CHT land commission to get 2 more members

Star file photo

The cabinet on Monday approved changes to a law aiming to resolve the longstanding land disputes in Chittagong Hill Tracts (CHT).

The draft 'Chittagong Hill Tracts (CHT) Land Dispute Resolution Commission (Amendment) Act-2013' recommends that increasing the number of the commission’s members to five from three, said Cabinet Secretary M Musharraf Hossain Bhuiyan.

A retired judge of the Appellate Division of the Supreme Court will head the five-member commission while the Chittagong divisional commissioner will act as member secretary, Bhuiyan said while briefing reporters after a regular cabinet meeting.

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina chaired the meeting held at the Secretariat.

A representative of CHT Regional Parishad’s chairman and two indigenous people or circle chiefs will also be in the commission.

The draft law also says illegally occupied lands and those being used for rehabilitation of the settlers in light of the 1997 CHT Peace Accord will come under the commission’s jurisdiction.

The amendments also propose giving priority to the local indigenous people while recruiting manpower in the commission and suggest that any dispute will be resolved on the basis of the majority opinion now.

Earlier, the chairman had the authority to take any decision.