Two Khasi villages are in danger of eviction.

Saturday, March 13, 2010
Green light to cut 4,000 trees
Over 100 trees already chopped down after HC directive; ethnic people, environmentalists protest The felled trees at Kailin Punji in Srimangal. A timber trader chopped down over 100 trees and destroyed two betel leaf enclosers at Kailin Punji near Nahar Tea Garden in Srimangal yesterday after the High Court gave the go-ahead to cut down 4,000 trees. Earlier, 1,200 trees were already felled in 2008. The HC bench comprising Justice Md Mamtaz Uddin Ahmed and Justice Naima Haider in the go-ahead on February 22 allowed the garden owner to cut the trees. Indigenous people of neighbouring Khasia Punjis (villages) and environmentalist group Bangladesh Paribesh Andolon (Bapa) apprehend displacement of indigenous people from their ancestral homesteads, loss of traditional livelihood and environmental degradation as a consequence of the wholesale tree felling. The Ministry of Environment and Forest dubiously issued a permit on June 30, 2008 in favour of Nahar Tea Garden in Moulvibazar allowing it to chop down a total of 4,000 trees in exchange for Tk 47.51 lakh as royalty to the public treasury. Nahar Tea Garden, however, made a deal with M/s Salim Timber and Traders to sell the 4,000 trees in October, 2006, two years prior to obtaining the permit. The deal involved Tk 1.5 crore. Following protests by the Khasia community and Bapa, forest ministry on October 19, 2008 suspended the permit. Before the suspension, the contractor, however, had cut 1,200 trees and removed them with elephants. The court in its February 22 directive did not mention the number of trees already felled. Interestingly, Sylhet Divisional Forest Officer Md Delwar Hossain issued a fresh permit on February 2 this year allowing the garden owner to cut down 2,350 trees and asked to spare 450, as those are located in the Khasia Punjis(1200+2350+450=4000). Following a writ petition filed by the timber trader Salim Uddin Mohalder and Nahar Tea Garden Manager Pijush Kanti Bhattacharya, the court on February 22 directed the forest department authorities and local administration to allow the felling of trees as per the earlier work order. In the Sylhet Divisional Forest Office permit, the garden owner was asked to pay the government an enhanced royalty of Tk 1.19 crore for the trees as per revised rate of forest goods. The HC in its February 22 rule also asked authorities including environment and forest secretary to show on what legal grounds they had imposed the enhanced royalty and reduced the number of trees by 450 and stayed the permit for three weeks. "The timber trader started cutting the trees around noon with the backing of several hundred musclemen," said father Joseph, a religious leader of the local Khasia community. Environment and Forest Secretary Mihir Kanti Majumdar said he would take initiatives to file an appeal today against the HC directive that allowed the felling of trees. As to why the ministry gave permission in the first place to wipe out as many as 4,000 trees, he said, "We shelved it for some time." The then Sylhet Divisional Forest Officer Abdul Mabud in a letter to the Nahar Garden manager in August, 2008 said 3,754 of the total 4,000 trees grew naturally and the rest were planted. The trees had 87,174 cubic foot timber and 75,508 cubic foot of firewood. The trees included Cham, Gamar, Gorjon, Jaam, Koroi, Bonak, Rongi, Shimul, Awal, Khami, Bolos, Lud, Belpoi, Dumur and others. Khushi Kabir, chairman of Association for Land Reform and Development (ALRD), said tree felling on this scale would adversely affect environment, life and livelihood of the local indigenous people. "Forest area in Bangladesh is already very low compared to requirement," she said. Bapa General Secretary Md Abdul Matin referring to locals' estimate said even though the tea garden has a lease for 864 acres of land, it is on over 1,200 acres of land including 200 acres of Khasia community land. The garden owner has been realising money by sub-leasing 100 acres of the leased-land in violation of the terms in Bangladesh Tea Management Directory, alleged Bapa Member Secretary Sharif Jamil. The owner has realised a total of Tk 2 crore illegally in the form of land tax since 1984 from the Khasia communities, said Md Abdul Matin. Deputy Commissioner of Moulvibazar Mofizul Islam said Khasia community is dependent on the trees for their livelihood by the betel leaf cultivation. He received no complaints about realising tax from the community, he said.
There are around 60 Khasia families in two Khaisa Punjis--Akilam Punji and Kailin Punji--in and around the garden. The tea garden's manager Pijush Kanti said they needed to cut the trees to expand the garden by 60 acres every year. On realising tax from the Khasia, he said they do not do that anymore but the previous owner used to do it.

INDIGENOUS TEA WORKERS DEPRIVED.

DEPRIVED INDIGENOUS TEA WORKERS IN BANGLADESH.

The Tea Industry was begun in North East part of Bengal by the British Empire in 1856. Those populations after tireless efforts and fighting against the nature, poisonous snakes and wild animals cleared up hilly grounds, and developed the Tea Industry. The first Tea Garden developed in Sylhet region by the British, was “Malnicherra” near Sylhet town. The tea workers population is about 2.5 million. They are the most disadvantaged, neglected and vulnerable people in the country. The Bangladesh Government does not have any policy for the development of Indigenous peoples. Today the tea industry is controlled by private companies who lease garden from the government of Bangladesh. You can do something about the changing te exploitative conditions of tea workers in bangladesh.

Agents of Tea workers’ exploitations
The Tea Companies themselves purposely deprive them of their due rights and wages for business purposes. Leading Political Parties by keeping the workers in the dark, ignorant and unaware of situations particular parties use them as Vote Bank to achieve their selfish interests. Domination of fraudulent Labour Union leadership: In order to protect and safe guard the fundamental rights of the Tea Indigenous populations, a Labour Trade Union was established in the early forties. It is regrettable that the very Labour Union born of Tea worker out of their sweat and brow has become the source of exploitation.

Basic problems of the Tea Indigenous populations are as follows

Insufficient Education Facilities: Out of a Seven hundred thousand Tea population workers, at least one hundred thousand children are School going. Out of that number, only Eighteen thousand are enlisted by the Tea Board and ten percent are privileged to go to School. There are about 153 schools run by the Tea Board. Moreover, there is no proper environment in those schools for proper education. Most of the Schools are broken and with out proper walls and furniture. Schoolhouses are not conducive at all for education

Denial of Land Ownership: One hundred fifty years ago under the British Administration, the Tea Estate Workers have levelled the mountains, cleared up jungles & hillocks, and established the Tea Industry in this country. Besides, they also levelled barren grounds and turned them into cultivable fields and took control over the whole land.

Inhuman Housing Condition: According to the labour law, every labourer is entitled to have a half bricked house with corrugated tins, size of 17’×22’ feet, built by the Company. According to the Housing Law every year, the Tea Estate Company is supposed to build houses for 10% of its labourers. They live in shabby and congested houses. The floor of the houses is soggy and it causes diarrhoea and child mortality. They really live a miserable life in one room with their kith and kin along with the livestock. In order to avoid this unbearable situation if anyone wants to build a good and big house according to his or her own ability, the Estate Authority does not allow it to happen. They harass the workers by filing false cases against them.

Insufficient Health Care: The system of health care in the Tea Gardens is miserable. One of the leading Tea producing companies in Bangladesh known as James Finley has got a standard Hospital for the Tea Workers

Unjust Wage: The Tea Workers get a very minimum wage from the company. They work from morning till evening but they get only Tk. 28.10 (60 US Cent) a day. The Labour Union together with the Tea Board fixes the amount of wage

JPIC work in Bangladesh: A Response to Signs of the Times

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Bangladesh: The Country of Rivers

Missionary Oblates arrived in Bangladesh in 1971 to establish missions that serves poor people. We are currently located in the North East part of the country, called Greater Sylhet which has four districts. Oblates are working in three districts where they are pastoral administrators in four parishes. This is a region with indigenous people that make dwelling in hills, forests and tea estates. Oblates are involved in providing pastoral, education, health and social justice to the local community.

Bangladesh has many rivers that provide transportation to local people and a source of income for families who mostly farmers and fishermen. The very location of the Bangladesh to the Bay of Bengal has made it vulnerable to tornadoes, floods and cyclones. Rice,jute and tea are the most common crops in agriculture.

BANGLADESH OBLATE OFFICE

By Fr. Joseph Gomes, JPIC Director.

Welcome to Oblate JPIC office in Bangladesh. We are committed to promoting Justice and Peace and Intergrity of Creation.

We work with indigenous communities, local catholic organisations and non governamental organisations to promote human rights for indigenous peoples.

As a catholic religious organisation, we share the spirit of St Eugene Demazenod, our founder to serve the poor and our response to justice is informed by Catholic Social Teaching.

Thank you and enjoy enjoy our JPIC site.