Tea workers won't give ancestral land

Workers of Chandpur Tea Garden in Habiganj yesterday threatened that they would rather die than give up their ancestral land chosen for setting up a special economic zone.

"We get only Tk 69 per day for our job. Even after that we have been living happily because we have land to cultivate and reside in. But there is a conspiracy to grab our ancestral land in the name of building a special economic zone," said Sadhan Santal, president of Chandpur Tea Garden Panchayet Committee.

Supporting the garden workers' demand, National Human Rights Commission Chairman Dr Mizanur Rahman said, "If you [the government] are really courageous, then take away land from the possession of land grabbers. Only then will we understand this is courageous and will salute it."

To raise their voice, Indigenous Social Development Organisation and Tea Garden Workers jointly held a discussion on "Human Rights of Tea Garden Workers and Their Socio-Economic Development" at the capital's Jatiya Press Club.

Around 6,000 Santals are dependent on 500 acres of land of Chunarughat upazila for living and cultivation. Among them, around 1,100 work at the Chandpur Tea Garden. The government wants to take all 500 acres.

"Our predecessors made the land cutting hills and forests 150-200 years ago. There is a graveyard of our forefathers. How could we give away the land? We will rather die than leave it," said Sadhan.

The NHRC chairman asked the government to wake up and take action against grabbing.

He asked the tea garden workers to write a letter to the NHRC in this regard, saying he would take necessary steps.

Criticising the move, chief of the parliamentary caucus on indigenous affairs Fazle Hossain Badsha asked the tea garden workers to wage a huge protest.

"What is the point of becoming a middle income country, if we remain hungry," said eminent columnist Syed Abul Maksud, expressing solidarity with the demand of the indigenous people.

However, Executive Chairman of Bangladesh Economic Zones Authority Paban Chowdhury claimed that the tea garden workers would be benefited if the economic zone was set up there.