Hill Voice, 30 July 2022, Rangamati: Army’s 20 Engineering Construction Battalion of No.10 Camp of Sajek Union is going to construct a 30 feet wide road from Ugalchari village near Aryapur Banavihara of Baghaichari Union in Baghaichari Upazila of Rangamati District.

This road will be constructed from that place to Halimpur BGB border camp through Kajoichari Mukh. And the Kajoichari camp will be connected to the BGB road from Tangum Mukh Bridge in Sarbowatali Union.

According to local sources, a road of approximately 4 km will be constructed from the mouth of Aryapur shop road to Kajoichari road and at least 50 families of Jumma villagers will be affected.

Due to the construction of this road, 4.85 acres of recorded land, 7.20 acres of traditionally occupied land and 1.00 acres of paddy land of Jumma villagers will be affected. Besides, 2 deep wells, 13 houses, 3 shops, 2 cattle sheds, 1 tobacco stove etc. will be damaged. And thousands of trees of various valuable species of plantation including agar and teak will be destroyed.

Already, the 20 Engineering Construction Battalion of the army led by Colonel Muhammad Saifur Rahman has instructed the local Jumma villagers to remove their houses, structures and trees of whose houses, structures and plantation will fall on this road.

Sources said that already the 20 engineering construction battalions have set up base camp at Kachuchari BGB camp under 27 BGB of Sarbowatali Union and road construction equipment will be brought in next 2/1 days.

At present there is a 10 feet wide brick paving road at the site and vehicles are plying on the road. The affected local villagers said that there is no need to cause damage by increasing the road by 30 feet. The local UP chairman, headman of Mouza and the villagers of the area have demanded that the plan to build the 30 feet wide road be cancelled. At present, it is said that more than half a hundred Jumma families are in extreme fear and anger in the face of eviction.

It is to be noted that this road is reportedly being constructed under the Border Road (Rangamati, Khagrachari and Bandarban Hill Districts) Construction Project. According to the project documents, the border road is supposed to be 317 km long.

Under the said project, 20 Engineering Construction Battalion plans to construct 52 km border road from Sijakchara to Sajek-Shilda-Betling of Sajek Union under Baghaichari Upazila and 95 km to Sajek-Dokanghat-Thegamukh in Rangamati Hill District. Out of that, about 15 to 20 km work has been completed from Sijakchara. As a result of the construction of the said road, the houses, plantation and traditional Jum farming land of 211 Jumma families will be damaged.

A 130 km long link road is being constructed from Rajasthali to Thegamukh to connect Chittagong sea port with the Thega land port under construction in Barkal upazila of Rangamati district. As a result of construction of this road, at least 129 families in two upazilas have already suffered huge losses.

Construction of a road by LGED is in progress from Painchari of Dochari in Naikshyonchari to Poyamuhuri of Alikadam in Bandarban. The road started from Alikadam Janali Para and connect with Teknaf border road via Karukpata, Poyamuri. Already 37 km road has been constructed.

Construction of Matiranga-Panchari-Dighinala border road in Khagrachari district and for this purpose establishment of army camp in Shankhola para of Panchari has been all set. As a result of this road, hundred acres of lands and plantations of Jumma villagers will be damaged. Through a memorandum dated 30 May 2022, 184 current and former public representatives, Headmen and Karbaris demanded to cancel the construction of this road and army camp.