http://www.thedailystar.net/2003/10/27/d31027020226.htm
Daily Star, Mon. October 27, 2003
A meeting of the parliamentary standing committee for Chittagong hill tracts
has stated the obvious: law and order and uplift efforts in the CHT are bedevilled
by lack of coordination between various organisations and agencies involved
in the area. Even between two apparatuses of the government one sees cooperation
lacking, let alone among a multiplicity of them as happens to be the case with
Chittagong hill tracts affairs. The CHT affairs minister, secretary to the ministry,
the interim regional council, the parliamentary standing committee and the district
administrations have not been working in synchronisation with each other. As
a result, not merely routine administration and development activities are impaired,
the fuller agenda of implementing the peace accord signed nearly six years ago
goes by default.
The broader picture is missing in our approach to CHT affairs. The peace accord had envisaged four committees: advisory committee; agreement and development implementation committee; a task force; and land reform commission. Only the last two committees have been formed and are working. So, the institutional framework is not fully-fledged yet for handling the whole array of tasks: implementing a peace accord with its salient features of even-handed administration, land rights, peace and justice to all communities, all-round development of hitherto neglected areas and democratically elected district and regional councils.
If we have messed up with coordination between just a handful of agencies or
committees, what would happen when the full complement of institutions will
be in place? That is a very pertinent question that cries for an answer.
Meanwhile, what we need to do is to improve the law and order situation, resolve
land disputes and carry forward development activities. There have been abductions
and extortionist activities, a dreadful Mahalchhari-type inter-communal conflict,
violence between pro-and-anti-peace accord elements and recovery of sophisticated
weapons by security forces. As a result, the development pursuits in the region
have been unnecessarily impeded. Let's not forget that sometime ago the UNDP
had given green light to development funding following a favourable reassessment
of the law and order situation. The uplift of the CHT region will be in the
best interest of all communities.