The government’s decision to set up an economic zone on hundreds of acres of arable land in Habiganj would threaten the livelihoods of thousands of tea workers there, political parties and rights activists have warned.
Protesting the government move, the Communist Party of Bangladesh (CPB) and Bangladesher Samajtantrik Dal (BaSad) formed a human chain in front of the National Press Club yesterday.
Speaking there, CPB President Mujahidul Islam Selim said the establishment of an economic zone in Chandpore and Begum Khan tea estates would mean the eviction of around 16,000 workers including 1,200 tea workers.
Such a move, which had been made without any consultation with tea workers, would push thousands of workers towards death, Selim added.
BaSad General Secretary Khalequzzaman said foreign investment was a technique to loot money and exploit cheap labour. He also pointed out that the international labour law had not yet been implemented for the special economic zones.
Meanwhile, in a separate statement, rights activists expressed their concerns about the hurried attempt to establish an economic zone on 511 acres of agricultural land in Habiganj.
“We believe an injustice will be done to the tea workers and their families of Chandpore Tea Estate if the agricultural land is transferred without properly consulting them or taking their economic fate into consideration,” the statement read.
“We appeal to the government to hold full-scale and open consultation with the tea workers as regards establishing an economic zone in the agricultural land that they cultivate,” they added.
Eleven signatories of the statement are: Hossain Zillur Rahman, Hameeda Hossain, Anu Muhammad, Khushi Kabir, Shahidul Alam, Jyotirmoy Barua, Rahnuma Ahmed, Tanzimuddin Khan, Shamsul Huda, Hasnat Quaiyum and Philip Gain.
