The New Nation - Internet Edition

BSS, Dhaka

Speakers at a seminar here on Tuesday demanded of the government to form a separate land commission for the indigenous people to remove land related harassment of the community.

"The land disputes of the indigenous people can be solved under a political decision if the government desires," they said while addressing a seminar on 'Land Disputes of the Indigenous People: Greater Mymensingh Perspective' at LGED auditorium here.

Mass Line Media Centre (MMC) and Caritas Bangladesh jointly organised the seminar.

With Dr Benedict Alo D' Rozario, executive director of Caritas, in the chair, the function was addressed, among others, by Promod Mankin, former lawmaker, Dr Dalim Chandra Dev Barman, teacher of Peace and Conflict Department of Dhaka University, Prof. Mesbah Kamal and Abdul Awal, NGO personalities, and Theofil Nokrek, Mymensingh region director of Caritas.

Secretary of Adibashi Forum Sanjib Drang presented the keynote paper while MMC executive director Quamrul Hasan Manju moderated.

Describing himself as a victim of land disputes, the former lawmaker and Awami League leader Promod Mankin said it is a long time problem of the ethnic minority groups in this country, which took a serious turn now because of the population boom.

He put emphasis on changing the mentality of majority people to solve the problem as the overall development of the country is not possible, if a group don't have a sense of ownership.

Prof. Dalim Chandra Dev Barman observed that the problem would be solved if the Vested Property Act is annulled.

The other speakers demanded amendment of the laws relating to khas land and acceptance of the collective ownership concept by the indigenous people as they did not maintain the documents of ownership for ages.

They also stressed the need for establishing a secular government in the country for protecting the interest of people from all sections.

Sounding a note of warning against the trend of destroying natural forests to raise artificial parks for commercial purpose, the speakers said the current development paradigm is one of the obstacles to progress of the under privileged groups.