Chittagong Hill Tracts Land Dispute Resolution Commission

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Chittagong Hill Tracts Land Dispute Resolution Commission
Formation1999
HeadquartersDhaka, Bangladesh
Region served
Bangladesh
Official language
Bengali

Chittagong Hill Tracts Land Dispute Resolution Commission (Bengali: পার্বত্য চট্টগ্রাম ভূমি বিরোধ নিষ্পত্তি কমিশন) is a Bangladesh government commissioned formed to solve disputes in the Chittagong Hill Tracts.[1][2] The commissioned formed in 1999 has been unable to work due to the lack of rules under which the commission can operate.[3][4]

History[edit]

Chittagong Hill Tracts Land Dispute Resolution Commission was established in 1999 as in line with the Chittagong Hill Tracts Peace Accord signed in 1997 between the Government of Bangladesh and the Parbatya Chattogram Jana Samhati Samiti.[5] The government enacted the CHT Land Dispute Resolution Commission Act in 2001. The act stipulated that the decisions of the court would be like verdicts of a civil court and cannot be challenged anywhere.[5] The act called for the government to provide a set of rules for the commission to act under and as of 2019 the government has not done so.[5] The government had also amended the act in 2013 that reduced the power of the Commissioner of the Chittagong Hill Tracts Land Dispute Resolution Commission and removed the requirement to establish rules for the commission within six months of the passage of the CHT Land Dispute Resolution Commission Act in 2001.[6] There are 23 thousand cases pending with the commission.[5]

The commission is headed by a retired judge of Bangladesh Supreme Court. Despite the large number of cases the commission has provided no decisions on those land disputes due to the lack of rules.[7][8] The first meeting of the commission was held on 12 February 2018 in Rangamati Circuit House. The meeting was chaired by Justice Mohammad Anwar-ul-Haq.[9] On 23 December 2019, protesters, from Parbatya Chattogram Nagorik Parishad, surrounded the Rangamati Hill District Council demanding amendments to the commission act.[10]

References[edit]

  1. ^ Uddin, Mohammad Moin (2019), Singh, Mahendra Pal; Kumar, Niraj (eds.), "Settlement of Indigenous Land Disputes by the CHT Land Dispute Resolution Commission of Bangladesh: Challenges and Possible Solutions", The Indian Yearbook of Comparative Law 2018, The Indian Yearbook of Comparative Law, Singapore: Springer, pp. 251–278, doi:10.1007/978-981-13-7052-6_11, ISBN 978-981-13-7052-6, S2CID 199353832, retrieved 2021-02-08
  2. ^ "'Cooperation from all quarters needed to resolve CHT land disputes'". Dhaka Tribune. 2019-12-19. Retrieved 2021-02-08.
  3. ^ "DCs seek nod to start survey, lease out land". The Independent. Dhaka. Retrieved 2021-02-08.
  4. ^ "CHT land commission yet to get rules of business". The Business Standard. 2019-09-12. Retrieved 2021-02-08.
  5. ^ a b c d "Land Disputes in Cht: 22,000 complaints gather dust". The Daily Star. 2019-08-05. Retrieved 2021-02-08.
  6. ^ "Cabinet approves draft CHT Land Dispute Resolution Commission Act". Dhaka Tribune. 2013-05-27. Retrieved 2021-02-08.
  7. ^ "CHT land commission still ineffective". New Age. Retrieved 2021-02-08.
  8. ^ "On the settlement of land disputes in the CHT". The Daily Star. 2019-12-17. Retrieved 2021-02-08.
  9. ^ "CHT Land Dispute Resolution Commission holds meeting - National". The Daily Observer. Retrieved 2021-02-08.
  10. ^ Elahi, Fazle. "Protesters lay siege to Rangamati council over land rights". bdnews24.com. Retrieved 2021-02-08.