PCJSS accuses govt of flouting CHT accord July 15, 2014 12:33 am · 0 comments Staff Correspondent Parbatya Chattagram Janasanghati Samity on Monday said that the government alone would be responsible if any unwarranted situation evolved in the Chittagong Hill Tracts for its anti- people initiatives that flout the CHT Accord of 1997. PCJSS president Jyotirindra Bodhipriya Larma announced a 17-point demand at a news conference at a city hotel. He said that the situation in the CHT was now as terrible as it was in 1972 and 1973. The sufferings of CHT’s original inhabitants increased terribly, he said. The PCJSS chief demanded immediate implementation of the CHT accord under the 17-point demand. The other demands include immediate holding of Zilla Parishad elections in the three CHT districts, CHT regional Council election and rolling back of all temporary army camps from the hill districts. The PCJSS held the news conference to explain anti CHT Accord and anti people measures taken by the government, he said. He described the CHT Development Board Bill 2014 as ‘anti-people’ and ‘anti-CHT Accord.’ Jyotirindra Larma said that the bill was passed in Parliament on July 1 on voice vote after the government introduced it in Parliament flouting the CHT Accord and without consulting the CHT Regional Council. On the same day, three other bills were introduced in Parliament one of which sought to amend the CHT Zilla Parishad Act, he said. The two other bills seek to set up a medical college and a university at Rangamati, he said. Jyotirindra Larma said that these government initiatives contradicted the CHT Accord. The government failed to fully implement the accord in last 17 years and still controlled the CHT causing severe insecurity to Jumma people, he said. He said the government flouted Section 53 (1) of CHT Regional Council Act 1998 which stipulates that the government would formulate laws relating to CHT or its regional council in consultation with the CHT Regional Council and following its recommendations. He said the government never cared to consult the regional council before introducing the CHT Development Board Bill 2014, and the bills to amendment CHT Zila Parishad Act or the Rangamati Science and Technology University Act 2001 Section 5 of the Rangamati Science and Technology University Act 2001 states that the proposed university would be open to all castes, religions and classes of men and women so that more than 90 per cent students from outside the CHT could be admitted to the proposed university, said Jyotirindra Larma. He said that Kaptai Swedish Polytechnic Institute was the best example of such discrimination though it was established for the education of CHT inhabitants. Now more than 90 per cent its students are from outside the CHT, he said. He described setting up of a BGB camp at Dighinala as ‘illegal’ as there is no khas land in CHT. He said that BGB wants to acquire the lands of the inhabitants and the government gave it the permission for the land acquisition violating the existing laws. He said that on July 5, a visiting team of human right activists was attacked in the CHT in the presence of the local administration clearly showing what the government wanted to do in the CHT.
Posted on: Tue, 15 Jul 2014 02:06:42 +0000