Our Correspondent, Khagrachhari
June 20: A half-day hartal has been called at Matiranga upazila tomorrow (Saturday) demanding cancellation of the UNDP decision to exclude the upazila from the development plan.
People of Matiranga upazila in Khagrachhari hill district are outraged over the reported exclusion of the upazila from the development programme of the UNDP.
The Chittagong Hill Tracts have again become tense as the UNDP has decided to drop Matiranga upazila and was reportedly also considering dropping Bandarban Sadar upazila though it initially selected six risk-free upazilas for development work.
Chairman of Chittagong Hill Tracts Development Board Wadud Bhuiyan MP expressed surprise at the news of exclusion of Matiranga upazila. He said the development activity of UNDP should not aim at some tribe, excluding other tribes. He requested UNDP to review its decision to exclude Matiranga.
Reports reaching from Rangamati says "conspiracy" was on to exclude areas inhabited by the Marma, Tripura and Bangalees at the pressure of Santu Larma. Demonstrations and rallies continued at Matiranga today (Friday). Matiranga municipality administrator Abu Yusuf Chowdhury, Belchhari UP chairman Abdul Mannan Munaf, Chai Saprue Marma. Manindra Kishore Tripura and Biswa Chakma spoke at the rally.
A senior leader of UPDF said if development work continued excluding greater areas of Chittagong Hill Tracts the organisation would "monitor" it. Several tribal leaders of Khagrachhari and Bandarban said Jana Sanghati Samity (JSS) leader Santu Larma was against any development work in areas inhibited by Marma and Tripuras. Santu Larma described Matiranga as a area inhabited by Bangalees and favoured exclusion of the area from development plan.
UNDP, Regional Council and Chittagong Hill Tracts Affairs Ministry at a meeting at Rangamati on June 14 in presence of about 20 elite including Chittagong Hill Tract based intellectuals, observers, experts, journalists and officials of different departments came to a decision that six upazilas of the hill tracts were risk-less. Matiranga is one of the six upazilas.