Hill people demand end to land grabbing

The Maischhori Land Protection Committee of Khagrachari hill district on Sunday demanded that the government should put an end to land grabbing in the Chittagong Hill Tracts by settlers from the planes.

It was one of a number of demands the committee made at a news conference at the Dhaka Reporters’ Unity.

The other demands include taking legal measures against the land grabbers, recognition of hill people’s traditional rights to land, and relocation of settlers in the CHT to other areas in the country.

In the past nine months, settlers from the plane lands have grabbed 366 acres of land belonging to the hill people at just two upazilas, Mahalchhori and sadar, in Khagrachari, the committee leaders, including Bidya Binod Chakma, Deenendra Lal Chakma, Gyanlal Chakma, Bimoljyoti Chakma, Nayna Devi Chakma, and Anjali Devi Chakma, told the conference.

In response to a question, one of them said, ‘Supporters of former BNP lawmaker Abdul Wadud Bhuiyan were involved in the recent incidents of land grabbing.’

‘We requested the local administration to stop the land grabbing and save the life and property of the hill people, but in vain,’ he said.

The committee leaders claimed the hill people were passing their days in fear.

They demanded that the government should take steps to return their land by evicting the illegal settlers. They also demanded punishment of Wadud Bhuiyan and his accomplices involved in the land grabbing.

Source from-http://www.newagebd.com/met.html