Staff Reporter :
The rights organisations fear that the ex-enclave people may lose their ownership on lands, which they have inherited from ancestors or bought but without legal document, if the land survey is conducted.
The rights organisations have demanded rearranging public hearing and setting up special tribunal to resolve the land disputes in the enclave areas. They have also demanded deployment of law enforcers in the former enclaves during the field survey to resist influence of influential people and brokers. In this regard, they submitted some recommendations, including conducting the land survey on enclaves’ land under supervision of the Department of Land Survey.
Ain o Salish Kendro (ASK), Association for Land Reform and Development (ALRD) and Transparency International Bangladesh (TIB) placed the demands and the recommendations at a press conference in the National Press Club in the city on Sunday.
The platforms jointly arranged the press conference to present the findings of a joint-probe report on land disputes in former enclaves. A joint-team of the three platforms conducted the field level probe in five former enclaves of Bangladesh from August 29 to
September 1 last. They talked to former enclave dwellers, the Enclaves Exchange Coordination Committee and the local administration during their probe.
The probe found that although many enclave people and their families used the land they have been living on from generation to generation, they have no legal documents due to various reasons. The former enclave people are likely to face fresh complication due to the land survey conducted by the government.
Presenting the findings, ALRD Executive Director Shamsul Huda said that the Land Ministry took a decision to conduct a land survey in the former enclaves from October 16, 2015 to January 15, 2016, but without plan. The former enclave people will face new problem in the survey, he added.
TIB Executive Director Dr Iftekharuzzaman said that the government should take necessary steps so that the former enclave dwellers are not deprived of their land rights.
Addressing the press conference, ASK Executive Director Sultana Kamal said that many people living in the areas, which were formerly Indian enclaves within Bangladesh, but now transferred to Bangladesh, are now in fear of losing ownerships of the lands due to existing system. “Land dispute is a severe problem, as identifying the owners of the land and who occupied the land is a difficult matter. It needs to be resolved case-by-case. So, alternative has to be thought to resolve the issue,” she said.
If a special tribunal is set up, the existing land problems of former enclave people in the areas, which were formerly Indian enclaves within Bangladesh but now transferred to Bangladesh, could be resolved, she also said.
The rights organisations fear that the ex-enclave people may lose their ownership on lands, which they have inherited from ancestors or bought but without legal document, if the land survey is conducted.
The rights organisations have demanded rearranging public hearing and setting up special tribunal to resolve the land disputes in the enclave areas. They have also demanded deployment of law enforcers in the former enclaves during the field survey to resist influence of influential people and brokers. In this regard, they submitted some recommendations, including conducting the land survey on enclaves’ land under supervision of the Department of Land Survey.
Ain o Salish Kendro (ASK), Association for Land Reform and Development (ALRD) and Transparency International Bangladesh (TIB) placed the demands and the recommendations at a press conference in the National Press Club in the city on Sunday.
The platforms jointly arranged the press conference to present the findings of a joint-probe report on land disputes in former enclaves. A joint-team of the three platforms conducted the field level probe in five former enclaves of Bangladesh from August 29 to
September 1 last. They talked to former enclave dwellers, the Enclaves Exchange Coordination Committee and the local administration during their probe.
The probe found that although many enclave people and their families used the land they have been living on from generation to generation, they have no legal documents due to various reasons. The former enclave people are likely to face fresh complication due to the land survey conducted by the government.
Presenting the findings, ALRD Executive Director Shamsul Huda said that the Land Ministry took a decision to conduct a land survey in the former enclaves from October 16, 2015 to January 15, 2016, but without plan. The former enclave people will face new problem in the survey, he added.
TIB Executive Director Dr Iftekharuzzaman said that the government should take necessary steps so that the former enclave dwellers are not deprived of their land rights.
Addressing the press conference, ASK Executive Director Sultana Kamal said that many people living in the areas, which were formerly Indian enclaves within Bangladesh, but now transferred to Bangladesh, are now in fear of losing ownerships of the lands due to existing system. “Land dispute is a severe problem, as identifying the owners of the land and who occupied the land is a difficult matter. It needs to be resolved case-by-case. So, alternative has to be thought to resolve the issue,” she said.
If a special tribunal is set up, the existing land problems of former enclave people in the areas, which were formerly Indian enclaves within Bangladesh but now transferred to Bangladesh, could be resolved, she also said.
