Lawmakers make case for attention to haor people

Though the haor people significantly contribute to ensure the country's food security, they are largely deprived of basic rights and suffer from malnutrition, some lawmakers said yesterday, seeking special attention of the government.

"Lands are no more in the haor people's possession. People like us, the educated and the rich, have grabbed the lands and made the haor people's lives miserable," said State Minister for Social Welfare Promod Mankin, speaking at a national dialogue.

The discussion on the "Seventh Five-Year Plan and Development of Haor Regions" was organised by the All Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) on Haor Livelihoods at a hotel in the capital.

Lawmaker Afzal Hossain said due to siltation, vast tracts of paddy fields had turned barren, and those needed restoration through proper dredging.

Fakhrul Islam, an opposition whip, said influential people were carrying out unplanned development works in the khas land of the haor areas.

Citing loss of haor lands in erosion, lawmaker Ziaul Haque Mridha demanded embankments on river banks.

Following their demands, Planning Minister AHM Mustafa Kamal pledged to allocate an additional Tk 475 crore for the development of the 2 lakh people of haor regions spread over seven north-eastern districts.

The government has already adopted a 20 year master plan for the development of the 2 lakh haor people, which will have 154 projects with an estimated cost of Tk 28,000 crore. 

The planning minister said Tk 300 crore would be spent for providing temporary income opportunities to the haor people during the three to four months when they would not have any work.

In addition, Tk 75 crore will be spent for sanitation, nutrition, and pure drinking water, and Tk 100 crore for road construction, he added.

The minister asked the head of the Department of Bangladesh Haor and Wetlands Development to design and submit projects to utilise the Tk 475 crore fund.

AKM Musa, country director of Concern Worldwide, said if lands, sweet water and population of the haor regions could be used properly, they would become a blessing for Bangladesh.

State Minister for Labour and Employment and Chairperson of APPG on Haor Livelihoods M Mujibul Haque Chunnu recommended coordination among government and non-government organisations who are working on haor development and extra allowances for government employees to encourage them to work in these remote places.