Md Joynal Abedin Khan :
The members of the Santal community of Sahebganj under Gobindaganj Upazila in Gaibandha district may get the lands of the Rangpur Sugar Mills, the ministry and the local sources said.
As soon as the government gives its green signal, the local administration will start the process of handing over the lands to them as per the agreement reached in 1962 while acquiring the lands.
Meanwhile, the Santals brought out arrow processions and organised rallies in front of the mills several times to get their unused lands.
A 24-page secret report was submitted by the district probe body to the Cabinet Division where the investigation team mentioned that the Santals were the genuine owners of the land, Cabinet Ministry official sources said.
The committee also found the necessary evidence and papers to prove at the
primary stage who were real owners of the land, they said.
In the meantime, Gaibandha Deputy Commissioner (DC) Md Abdus Salam submitted the probe report to the Cabinet Division on November 28 that established the Santals’ right.
Another classified report by Gaibandha Additional DC (Revenue) had been attached with the DC’s report, saying that rice, tobacco and vegetables were being grown on the land.
Even the officials of Gobindaganj upazila land office visited the sugarcane farm in May last year. He found that 1,502 of 1,842 acres of land were leased for cultivating various crops, according to a land office document.
Following the reports, the Santals and locals may get the 1502 acres of lands where they built their temporary houses based on their ethnic ownership, it said.
Professor Abul Barakat said, “The land is fertile and farmers can produce three varieties of crops here.”
The land is not suitable for a special economic zone as there is no highway near the farm and no connection with any river route, he said.
Deputy Commissioner Md Abdus Samad told The New Nation, “We submitted a proposal for a special economic zone. Now the government will take the final decision.”
He claimed that the government compensated the Santals when the land was acquired.
Upazila Nirbahi Officer (UNO) Md Abdul Hannan met leaders of the Santal community and wanted to handover the lands to cultivate crops.
Advocate AKM Bulbul, Programme Officer of Association for Land Reforms and Development (ALRD), said the Santals were the original owner of the land.
“The land currently belongs to the government. But the claim of the Santals is still valid because of a ‘unique clause’ in the agreement signed in 1962. We think this is a moral obligation on the part of the government to give back the land to its original owners,” said AKM Bulbul.
“Almost two-thirds of the land belong to the Santal community while the rest to Bengali speaking and the other small ethnic groups,” said Rabindra Nath Soren, President of the Jatiya Adivasi Parishad.
“Almost 1,200 of about 1,842 acres of land were taken from Santals. We have land documents and also khatian [survey] maps,” he said
Earlier, Pakistan government acquired around 745 hectares (1,842.3 acres) of land from Santals and locals for setting up the Rangpur Sugar Mills. The agreement was signed between Rangpur district administration and Pakistan Industrial Development Corporation on July 7, 1962. Even the mills was laid off by the government in 2004. It, however, resumed the production in 2006 and still continues with government subsidy.
The members of the Santal community of Sahebganj under Gobindaganj Upazila in Gaibandha district may get the lands of the Rangpur Sugar Mills, the ministry and the local sources said.
As soon as the government gives its green signal, the local administration will start the process of handing over the lands to them as per the agreement reached in 1962 while acquiring the lands.
Meanwhile, the Santals brought out arrow processions and organised rallies in front of the mills several times to get their unused lands.
A 24-page secret report was submitted by the district probe body to the Cabinet Division where the investigation team mentioned that the Santals were the genuine owners of the land, Cabinet Ministry official sources said.
The committee also found the necessary evidence and papers to prove at the
primary stage who were real owners of the land, they said.
In the meantime, Gaibandha Deputy Commissioner (DC) Md Abdus Salam submitted the probe report to the Cabinet Division on November 28 that established the Santals’ right.
Another classified report by Gaibandha Additional DC (Revenue) had been attached with the DC’s report, saying that rice, tobacco and vegetables were being grown on the land.
Even the officials of Gobindaganj upazila land office visited the sugarcane farm in May last year. He found that 1,502 of 1,842 acres of land were leased for cultivating various crops, according to a land office document.
Following the reports, the Santals and locals may get the 1502 acres of lands where they built their temporary houses based on their ethnic ownership, it said.
Professor Abul Barakat said, “The land is fertile and farmers can produce three varieties of crops here.”
The land is not suitable for a special economic zone as there is no highway near the farm and no connection with any river route, he said.
Deputy Commissioner Md Abdus Samad told The New Nation, “We submitted a proposal for a special economic zone. Now the government will take the final decision.”
He claimed that the government compensated the Santals when the land was acquired.
Upazila Nirbahi Officer (UNO) Md Abdul Hannan met leaders of the Santal community and wanted to handover the lands to cultivate crops.
Advocate AKM Bulbul, Programme Officer of Association for Land Reforms and Development (ALRD), said the Santals were the original owner of the land.
“The land currently belongs to the government. But the claim of the Santals is still valid because of a ‘unique clause’ in the agreement signed in 1962. We think this is a moral obligation on the part of the government to give back the land to its original owners,” said AKM Bulbul.
“Almost two-thirds of the land belong to the Santal community while the rest to Bengali speaking and the other small ethnic groups,” said Rabindra Nath Soren, President of the Jatiya Adivasi Parishad.
“Almost 1,200 of about 1,842 acres of land were taken from Santals. We have land documents and also khatian [survey] maps,” he said
Earlier, Pakistan government acquired around 745 hectares (1,842.3 acres) of land from Santals and locals for setting up the Rangpur Sugar Mills. The agreement was signed between Rangpur district administration and Pakistan Industrial Development Corporation on July 7, 1962. Even the mills was laid off by the government in 2004. It, however, resumed the production in 2006 and still continues with government subsidy.
