Pinaki Roy, from Madhupur
Chairman of Chittagong Hill Tracts Regional Council Jyotirindra Bodhipriyo Larma yesterday demanded immediate scrapping of the Madhupur National Park Project, saying it would provide recreation for the affluent at the cost of indigenous people.
He called upon the indigenous people at a rally to build up a strong protest against the move to dislodge them from the land that has been their home for ages.
Larma, better known as Shantu Larma, said the government would be forced to back down on the project like the Kulaura eco-park project.
Committee for Indigenous People's Land Rights and Environment (CIPLRE) staged the rally at Beduria Primary School which was attended by about 1,500 people from the Garo and Koch communities.
Other speakers at the rally said in place of taking action against corrupt forest officials, who were plundering the forest resources, the government was caging the indigenous people putting up high walls around the forest.
Gano Forum leader Pankaj Bhattacharya said legal actions would be taken if the situation called for.
Presided over by Albert Mankhin, the rally was also addressed by Adibashi Forum General Secretary Sanjib Drong, Benedict Mangsang, Babul de Nakrek, Biu Filomoni Mrong, Anthony Mansang and Maloti Nakrek.
The rally also demanded a dialogue of the government with the indigenous people
on the Madhupur project, establishment of their constitutional rights and withdrawal
of cases filed against them for opposing the project.
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Comments from Japan CHT Committee
This news item is related to construction of an eco-park (National Park) and
subsequent protest of the indigenous leadership in Madhupur region, a tradition
homeland of the Garo and Kotch people in district of Mymensingh, Bangladesh.
It has been reported a wall costing several crores taka already spent that has
created obstruction of the Garo community in their communication with other
fellow members in adjacent villages as well cut off them from access to market.
It also prevented them from entering into forest with which their life is integrated
from the immemorial. Such type of happening is also frequent in India too.