http://www.thedailystar.net/2003/10/26/d3102601055.htm
Staff Correspondent
Poor coordination in administrative affairs is hampering the maintenance of
law and order in the Chittagong Hill Tracts (CHT) and putting a drag on the
uplift of the region, a parliamentary body observed yesterday.
It pointed out that serious lack of coordination in administration, especially
among the CHT affairs minister, secretary of the ministry, lawmakers and the
district administrations are holding back development in the highlands.
To find a solution to the problem, the parliamentary standing committee on the
CHT affairs ministry decided to meet Prime Minister Khaleda Zia, who is in charge
of the ministry, soon.
Deputy Minister for CHT Affairs Moni Swapan Dewan pointed out the lack of coordination
at the previous meeting of the committee, saying he was not informed of many
things about the activities of his ministry.
He said he was not timely informed of the abduction of Rupan Mahajon, the trigger for Mahalchhari violence, and alleged that the Khagrachhari district administration sat on its hands instead of acting promptly to rescue him.
Dewan threatened to resign from the council of ministers, alleging foot-dragging in uplift efforts, corruption in project implementation, and that he was being ignored in the CHT affairs.
The committee at its meeting at the Sangsad Bhaban also decided to visit the hill districts of Rangamati, Khagrachhari and Bandarban that constitute the CHT after the holy month of Ramadan.
"We want to find out the reasons for the restive situation in the CHT," Mosaraf Hossain, chairman of the committee, told The Daily Star yesterday.
The parliamentary committee observed that two of the four committees provided
by the peace accord on the CHT -- the advisory committee and the agreement and
development implementation committee -- were not functioning and asked the ministry
concerned to reconstitute the bodies to make them effective.
The other committees -- a taskforce and a land reform commission -- started work recently.
The standing committee asked the heads of the taskforce and the commission to
come up with reports of their activities and findings at the next meeting, saying
land dispute was at the heart of the crisis in the hilly terrain.
The Jatiya Sangsad body also asked the CHT affairs ministry to submit a report on rations in the CHT, specifying the amount and beneficiaries of the programme.
Dewan did not raise the contentious issues over which he threatened to resign at the last meeting.
Sources said the premier summoned him in a debriefing session on the issues and asked him to work closely with others in the interest of CHT uplift.
The standing committee expressed dissatisfaction at the failure of the administration to rescue Rupan who was abducted on August 24.
Some committee members said they visited the scene in September and found the district administration making little effort to rescue him.
Committee Chairman Mosaraf chaired the meeting.