The wheels of the Chittagong Hill Tracts economy are crumbling to crash as bank lending activities are closed in three hill districts on the pretext of silly ground. Hundreds of small and big businessmen are becoming unemployed and banking activities are being hampered and this is affecting the socio-economic development of the country. Although there is no obstacle in the law, this complication has been created by unwittingly withholding permission for land mortgage from the offices of the deputy commissioners of the three hill districts. It is learned that more than 300 mute and mishap cases are pending in Rangamati due to the closure of land registration mutations and miss cases. The traders termed the issue as 'bureaucratic ego' and sought immediate intervention of higher authorities in the matter.
According to the investigation, loan activities worth at least Tk. 130 to Tk. 140 crore are stuck in the three districts due to the silence of the district administrations for land registration complications. Loan activities worth Tk. 50 crore are stuck in the market fund areas of Rangamati. Meanwhile, the members of Rangamati Chamber complained that at least 40 established businessmen have already left Rangamati and gone elsewhere as they could not take loans.
Some managers of different banks in Rangamati said that it is not possible to create new entrepreneurs in this complex. In this situation, the standard of living of the people of this district is declining as the pace of trade and commerce has slowed down.
It is learned that the government land market fund has been included in the market fund act and the settlement has been provided in favor of the citizens as per the proper rules but surprisingly the DC of Khagrachhari has referred to these lands as khas land. A bank official, who did not want to be named, claimed that the misunderstanding was due to the fact that some sections of the had been read and some sections had not been read by Khagrachari DC.
Talking to the Ministry of Hill Tracts, the three Hill District Councils, the three district administrations and the bank officials, it is learned that the authority to register the borrower's agreement with the bank rests with the deputy commissioners in the hill districts. This rule is in accordance with Section 12 (2) of the Chittagong Hill Tracts Rules of 1900. In the remaining 61 districts, the no-objection of the Sub-Registrar is sufficient for bank loans. But the agreement was made with the prior permission of the hill administrator and the agreement was registered by one of his magistrates. In 2016, the then Rangamati Deputy Commissioner Manjarul Mannan first questioned the process and stopped the loan agreement approval process. Later, however, it was opened after Nana Den Darbar.
Abdul Wadud, president of the Rangamati Chamber of Commerce, said, "In 2017, for the first time, Deputy Commissioner Manjarul Mannan suspended the settlement of land registry mutations and false cases in the market fund area." Later, if we want to move towards the movement, DC Manjarul Mannan called 5 directors of Rangamati Chamber through his assistant to his office and assured us to continue the settlement of mute and false cases on the condition of grant to the beggar fund. We provide grants to the beggar fund and the process is initiated. Unfortunately, he was transferred a few days later. Later, during the tenure of DC Mamunur Rashid, he stopped the land loan approval activities in the Rangamati Bazar Fund area in 2019, citing the Bandarban and Khagrachhari deputy commissioners. As a result, at least 2,000 small and big traders / investors of Rangamati are on the verge of extinction as the loan process is stuck.
It is learned that former State Minister Dipankar Talukder, an MP elected from Rangamati, had repeatedly urged former deputy commissioner Mamunur Rashid at the district law and order meeting to come to a quick decision on the issue. But even that did not work.
According to the 2019 data search, the Deputy Commissioner of Khagrachhari stopped the loan proposal approval and registration process on the basis of DC Manjarul Mannan. Khagrachhari Deputy Commissioner Pratap Chandra Biswas raised the issue of depositing money in the district administration fund at a stage of non-negotiation with the traders and questioned the legality of giving loan against the land settled in the market fund area in October 2019, referring to the settled land as khas land. He sent the letter. (Memorandum No. 05.42.4700.020.18.025.19-603. Date: 14/10/2019). Later, in the light of the letter of the Deputy Commissioner of Khagrachhari, Deputy Secretary Asma Taskin sought the opinion of the three Hill District Councils through a letter dated 08/11/2019 from Memorandum No. 29.00.000.214.28.232.2019-18 from the Ministry of Chittagong Hill Tracts Affairs. .
In the light of the letter, the then Chairman of Rangamati District Council, Brish Ketu Chakma, hastily mentioned the importance of the issue and sent his positive opinion (Memorandum No. 01.29.2019 (2nd volume) 326B dated 18/12/2019. Khagrachhari District Council Chairman and Market Fund Administrator Kanjari Chowdhury (then) also replied to the letter given by the Hill Ministry on 8/01/2020 AD on the basis of Memorandum No. 29.237.018.33.05.000.2019-23 / B. In his opinion, the Deputy Commissioner said that it was unfortunate that the land settled under the law was referred to as khas land. Kanjari also commented that imposing such an obligation would disrupt the public interest in the area. Although the district councils sent their views very quickly, the matter was not taken up.
Rangamati Deputy Commissioner Mizanur Rahman said, "The process of approving and renewing bank loan agreements is closed in all the three hill districts." I came to know that a letter has been sent from the Ministry of Chittagong Hill Tracts seeking the opinion of the Ministry of Land. The Ministry of Land should inform us in writing about the matter. But we have not received any instructions yet. '
He added: "I have been investigating since I joined. I am not aware of the stagnation of trade. If necessary, I will take the necessary steps again by drawing the attention of the Ministry of Chittagong Hill Tracts.”