Tourism in Hills, Consult council for development. CHT Commission advises govt against unilateral decision

Courtesy:
The Daily Star, Dhaka, Friday, January 8, 2010
Front Page

Staff Correspondent

The Chittagong Hill Tracts Commission (CHTC) has urged Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina to take necessary steps to cancel the planning ministry's decision to develop tourism in hill areas without consulting the Hill District Council.

The CHTC sent a letter to the prime minister on Wednesday expressing its concern over indiscriminate tourism development plans in the CHT.

Congratulating the Awami League-led alliance government on completing its first year in office, the letter said the commission had learned that the parliamentary standing committee (PSC) on the planning ministry on 23 December 2009 decided to develop tourism in the CHT region.

It is contrary to the CHT Peace Accord, 1997 since the Hill District Council (HDC) was not present during the decision-making and had not been consulted.

The letter signed by co-chairs of the CHT Commission Eric Avebury, Sultana Kamal and Ida Nicolaisen also pleaded with the premier not to implement the ministry decision to develop tourism in CHT without doing three more things.

These are -- to assess the environmental impact independently, make sure any new developments are not harmful to the environment and prevent further illegal land grabbing from indigenous communities in the name of development.

Citing media reports the CHTC alleged in the letter, "The upazila administration in Bandarban is illegally grabbing land belonging to Marma and Bawm communities in the name of tourism development centres. Forty-acres of land have allegedly been marked off with red flags by surveyors to build the tourist spots."

The letter said, "The PSC met, irregularly, under the CHT Development Board in Rangamati with Committee Chairman Col (retd) Oli Ahmed in the chair. To facilitate tourism, the PSC also resolved to build a road along the bank of the Kaptai Lake and to set up various recreational facilities as part of this project. The road would be connected with Bandarban, Khagrachhari and Chittagong district."

Section 34 in B (kha) of the CHT Accord (Chittagong Hill Tracts Local Government Council/ Hill District Council) provides that "Local Tourism" will "be added in the functions and responsibilities of the Hill District Council", cited the CHT Commission in the letter.

It said, "These current acts are therefore in direct violation of the Peace Accord as the HDCs have not been involved in either the planning or the implementation of these projects.

The letter also said that CHTC is not aware of any studies that have been carried out to assess the environmental impact of the proposed growth of tourism industry in the CHT.

"We respectfully suggest that expert consultants be invited to assess the sustainability and potential impact of large-scale tourism on land and water resources," read the CHTC letter.

"The potential for tourism needs to be linked to other developments in the region in a single comprehensive plan, in the formulation of which democratically elected HDCs should be fully involved, " the committee added.

The CHTC said Bangladesh is particularly vulnerable to climate change and related environmental damage. Preserving the extremely fragile and precious environment of the Chittagong Hill Tracts is therefore a priority.

Please also visit: www.chtcommission.org