Who are worse victims of Kaptai Hydro Electric Dam ?

Kaptai Dam : Painful history of Chakma and

Hajong of Arunachal Pradesh and Bangladesh

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This is not Water its tears of many Indigenous people . In this water Chakmas lost their kingdom and many of the hill tribes lost their lives and families, ancestral land, land where they had been born.

 Because of this Dam, today Chakma Royal Palace and birth place of most respected Venerable Bana Bhanteji and the ancestral land of Hajong also under this water .Therefore it is not a water but Symbol of black memories .

 The construction of Kaptai Dam started in 1957,  the initial phase of the construction was completed in 1962 . When the plan for this electricity project had been sanctioned in 1957. The total area of Chittagong Hill Tracts was 5093 square miles and the total population of this district was around three lakhs.

 Because of this Dam, 54 percent of cultivable land had been inundated under water. As results 40 percent of the cultivable land in the area, and displaced 18,000 families , out of which ten thousand were landowners and 100,000 tribal people, of which 70% were Chakma. About 40,000 of them were compelled to migrate to India. And 4012 Chakma and Hajong families migrated to Arunachal Pradesh .

 The families which were worst affected were rehabilitated and the Manual was amended for this purpose. According to the new amendment , no family was to get more than 10 acres of cultivable land. After the independence of Bangladesh, this law was again amended. As per the new amendment, not more than 5 acres of land was to be given.

 The Pakistan Government had either made a futile effort to rehabilitate the affected families or had purposely not extended help to all of them. All persons of Chittagong Hill Tracts have been affected by the Kaptai Hydro- electric Dam, but all of them had not received their compensation on time. And maximum did't get a single penny of compensation due to lack of documents of land .

 Even after their land had been taken from them by force,  the Jumma people had not been rehabilitated in time . When they asked for compensation as land and food and compensation. Then the government of Pakistan asked them to go to Kasalang forest and build hous ,there is no shortage of potato in jungle .

 In 1980 the Far Eastern Ecnomic Review published a report in which it was said that there was a provision for 51 million US dollars to pay the affected persons. However, only 2.6 million dollars were spent; the Pakistan Government did not spend any more deliberately.

 All persons of Chittagong Hill Tracts have been affected by the Kaptai Hydro- electric Dam, but all of them had not received their compensation on time. And many did't get a single penny of compensation due to lack of documents of land .

 Many lost their families and property . Those who were displaced due to Kaptai Dam most of them still not well settled and they still living in darkness and under jungle . Most of them still searching for their relatives to meet but many dying without meeting with their relatives and families .

 Its said that  When construction was started many Indigenous people opposed it and complained to Chakma King but he laughed at them by saying that we can't stop a small stream for sometime then how they're going to make a dam on such a huge water as like sea.

 Those who were compelled to migrate to India. In 1997, they returned to Bangladesh after signing of CHITTAGONG Hill Tracts Peace Accord . Out of 40, 000 thousands migrants only 4012 Chakma and Hajong families remained in Arunachal Pradesh as they were brought by Indian Government and settled them in NEFA after appropriate consultation with local leaders of Arunachal Pradesh .

Picture Copyright @Tufan