Editorial
CHT peace accord
Implementation should be speeded up now
A comment by Jatindra Lal Tripura, MP-elect on Awami League ticket from Khagrachhari, has caught our attention. He suggests that with the ushering in of an AL government, prospects for full implementation of the accord have brightened. More so, because in other hill constituencies, too, AL candidates have come out winning. From the look of things, Jatindra Lal Tripura has stated the obvious inasmuch as the AL being the author of the CHT agreement, can only be expected to complete the process of its implementation.
It is worthwhile to recall that during the AL rule, 1996-2001, following the consummation of the CHT accord in December, 1997, the tribal refugees encamped in Tripura, India returned to Bangladesh and Shanti Bahini, the armed wing of Parbattya Chattagram Jana Sanghati Samity (PCJSS) took to normal life by surrendering their weapons to the government. Concomitantly, peace was restored to the hilly region after two decades of insurgency and blood-letting.
The enthusiasm with which the accord was greeted by all concerned and sought to be implemented did produce some results as mentioned above. But generally speaking, the process of implementation was to slow down during the BNP rule, even though the party did not discard it. The AL got nearly four years to implement the accord since its signing in end-1997 and did what it could to restore peace in the region which was itself a big achievement but issues like land settlement, democratisation of the administration, strengthening tribal voice and all round development of the area remain.
The regional and district councils where the tribal people are to have preponderant representation and say are yet to be elected bodies. Therefore, the task is to hold election to these councils to make them truly representative in character and functioning. The land commission that was set up to carry out survey and resolve settlement disputes is yet to be fully functional to deliver the goods expected of it. Satisfactory solution of settlement issues can unlock a whole range of possibilities for healthy and interactive coexistence between the tribal people and the settlers from plain land. It is necessary to mention here though, the caretaker government has ensured tribal people's access to judiciary in the closest proximity to their habitats.
The Chittagong Hill Tracts has a vast potential for rapid development as a region, which the planners think, has remained largely untapped. The development partners have a soft corner for the CHT and have been keen on funding uplift programmes in the hill districts. There is all the reason why our private enterprise, the NRBs included, should come forward to assist the government in bolstering the development processes in the hilly region. Now is the time to roll up the sleeves and while speeding up the accord's implementation give a big push to development of the area.
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