Leases to outsiders cause land disputes in CHT

Many influential people living elsewhere often take out leases on pieces of land in the Chittagong Hill Tracts (CHT), contributing to the land dispute over there, said Rashed Khan Menon, president of Workers Party of Bangladesh.
Inflow of settlers from the plain land has not fully stopped even after signing of the CHT peace accord in 1997, observed Prof Shah Alam, chairman in-charge of the Law Commission.
The CHT Land Dispute Resolution Commission Act 2001 is still awaiting amendment, he added.
They were addressing a seminar on “Confidence building among the different communities of CHT”. National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) and International Labour Organization (ILO) jointly organised the programme in Cirdap auditorium in the capital.
NHRC Chairman Mizanur Rahman said had the land dispute been resolved in the area; it would pave the way for resolving other issues as well.
The speakers observed that many important clauses of the peace accord are yet to be implemented.
Dhaka University Prof Mejbah Kamal, among others, spoke at the programme.