A human chain was held demanding the cancellation of the declaration of the Sangu wildlife sanctuary in Lama, Bandarban. The programme took place in front of Bandarban Press Club at around 1pm on Wednesday (14 June). The participants later submitted a memorandum to the prime minister through the deputy commissioner.

Speakers at the human chain said Sangu was once a paradise for land grabbers, and ordinary people lived in constant fear of losing their land. Since the Chittagong Hill Tracts peace accord curbed the land grabbers, ordinary people have lived in safety. Now the Forest Department's moves over the wildlife sanctuary have spread fear of eviction.

They said the Ministry of Environment and Forests first issued a gazette notification in 1996 declaring 5,760 acres a wildlife sanctuary. In line with that notification, the ministry's forest wing issued a further notification in 2010 to implement memo No 2.

Speakers also said that under the Chittagong Hill Tracts Regulation of 1900, the three hill districts are divided into 376 mouzas or units for land management, each headed by a mouza headman. The headman's prior permission is legally required before any land settlement, sale, transfer or lease in a mouza, and before any reserved forest or sanctuary is declared. But the headman's opinion was not sought and the public was not informed before the Sangu wildlife sanctuary was declared.

Sangu mouza karbaris (mouza heads) Champot Mro, Hlathowai Hri Marma, Tonoya Mro, Ukyamong Marma and Chongpat Mro, among others, were present.

Source: Jagonews24. First published in Bengali on The Agro News.