Charland and right of the landless
Charlands in Bangladesh is a unique asset. This extensive stretch of resource can play an extraordinary role in reducing poverty of a huge number landless people of the country. But till date government not being in absolute control of the charlands and most of the these being in possession of a section of land-grabbers and not properly distributed among the actual landless poor, the effective utilisation of thousands of acres of charlands in overall poverty reduction and economic growth of the country could not be achieved. Specially because hundreds of acres of land due to alluvial accretion in rivers not being included in Khas Khatian and not handed over to the actual landless through proper distribution, no expected result has been found in rural poverty alleviation. But proper and correct utilisation of charland could have set a considerably positive trend in effective alleviation of rural poverty.
According to various sources, the amount of charland due to alluvion is more than two thousand square kilometres in the country. But unfortunately, most of this huge amount of charland is in grab of so-called political leaders and activists, local landlords and a section called 'land-terrorists'. And because of them the actual char dwellers are living like parasites on their own land. According to various sources, 70 to 75 lakh people dwell on different chars in the country now. Sixty percent of these people are absolutely landless having neither agricultural nor homestead land.
In Bangladesh there are about two hundred fifty rivers -- small and large combined. These include fierce Padma, Meghna, Jamuna as well as quiet Madhumati, Kumar, Ichhamati. However, once upon a time all rivers -- small and big -- in Bangladesh were evenly flowing, but over time with the accumulation silt many of them have lost their force. Every year there occurs alluvial accretion in different rivers. Subject to geographic situation these accretions are of two kinds-island in mean river and shore along bank. On the other hand these are also of two kinds according to duration -- permanent or old and temporary or prone to erosion.
There are innumerable accretion of chars in the rivers of Bangladesh. Of these the largest portion of charland is in the Jamuna. However, at present most accretion has occurred at the confluence of the Meghna. In districtwise consideration Noakhali experienced more such accretion than anywhere over the past few decades. Other districts with considerable new accretions are: Barisal, Rangpur, Comilla, Patuakhali, Khulna, Chittagong, Bhola, Munshiganj, Manikganj, Narsingdi, Lakkhipur, Bogra, Tangail, Barguna, Chandpur, Faridpur, Rajbari, Rajshahi, Pabna, Kurigram and Sirajganj.
Besides there are quite considerable amount of charland in innumerable non-major rivers of the country as well. On some of these charlands have come up human settlements while fertile others are cultivated for crops. This year's flood has washed away some charlands affecting quite a few lakh dwellers. Yet the stir of life has again returned to the affected charlands. The dwellers have once again started their struggle to build.
The alluvial charlands are most suitable for crop cultivation. No doubt about it. For this there grows huge quantity of paddy, peanut, rabi and other crops including vegetable in most charlands of the country. Specially rice is grown more than other crops in the charlands of Noakhali, Bhola, Rangpur, Gaibandha and Pabna, while vegetable is cultivated in abundance in charlands of Rajbari, Faridpur and Gopalganj. But the landless char dwellers just cannot enjoy any benefit from these produce of charlands. And thus poverty prevails. The main reason is that they remain or are kept without any legal right to charlands. The so-called influential illegal possessors, land lords or political leaders and workers covertly enjoy benefits from most of these charlands.
In fact, the char dweller landless farmers have to take settlement of cultivable land from the vested interest groups and forgo most of the harvest in the process, just to remain poor as before or even worse. The char dwellers complain that there being no policy for proper utilisation of charland and the Alluvion-Diluvium Act being too complex to comprehend, the absolute right of landless farmers and fishermen could not be established on charland. Continuation of an improper land administration for decade after decade has just not brought any ease and affluence in the lives of millions of charland dwellers. Should we wait more to effect any proper land reform?
We think it is more than high time to establish the right of the landless on all charland khas resources. And for this the following suggestions may be brought under consideration.
* All new accretion of charlands should be brought under government control/supervision forthwith and data of all charlands properly maintained and districtwise amount of charland updated each year.
* Diara survey of charland should be done quickly and civil society including poorman's organisations involved in the work. Proper charland utilisation policy should be adopted and central and local level charland management committees formed. Participation of the poor and the marginalised as well as farmers' representatives in these committees should be ensured.
* Such charlands as yet under occupation of illegal possessors should be recovered as soon as possible and given settlement to the actual landless families thereupon.
* Time limit for claiming ownership to alluvion land should be reduced subject to the majority opinion of charland dwellers. All confusions about Alluvion-Diluvium Act should be removed and the Act made the landless friendly.
* Wrong classification of khasland and change of cropland into waterbody (as in case of coastal area shrimp culture) should be stopped and all dominance of so-called trader group in charland areas checked.
* All awareness information about allotment of charland should be disseminated through newspaper, radio and television.
* The poor marginal charland dwellers should be imparted training on land laws and rules and these also improved to avoid bureaucratic dilly-dallying in matters of charland allotment.
* Identification of Alluvion-Dilluvion land, targeting the beneficiaries and participation of poorman's institutions/organisations (formal/non-formal) in matters of allotment should be ensured.
* There must be provision of punishment for land-waterbody-forestry robbers in chars and related corrupt-criminal interest groups and politicians.
* Permanent police camps should be set up in charlands to ensure security of dwellers thereupon and police vigil strengthened during boro and aman seasons.
* Measures for flood control and rehabilitation of the flood affected should be taken also in char areas. The poor inmates of flood rehabilitation centres should be brought under education and healthcare programmes for most part of the year and quick distribution of relief at the time of calamity ensured.
* Data of each family affected by river erosion should be properly maintained.
Land is man's birth right. So the common man's struggle for establishing right on land is also life-long. It is continuing from generation to generation. The landless are struggling for khas land settlement for ages. As we look at the old or newly accreted charland we feel there can be brought a transformation from poverty to affluence through a revolutionary economic-social-political administrative policy change. At the same time it would be possible to check the destructive rural-urban migration as there would be increased production to feed them and increased opportunity to provide them whatever more they need. But for this to happen it is necessary to establish right of the landless on the charland first.
Md Abdul Kader is Executive Director, Samata.
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