Speaker Hamid calls for development of haor region

DHAKA, Nov 17, 2012 (BSS) - Speaker Abdul Hamid Advocate has called upon the national, international and the non-government organizations to lend their support for the livelihood development of the haor regions as country's 18 per cent rice and 22 per cent livestock are being produced from the haor region.

"As almost two crore people are living at the haor regions and the people particularly in Netrokona, Kishoreganj, B'Baria, Habiganj, Moulvi Bazaar, Sylhet and Sunamganj are suffering from acute shortage of health, education and sanitation facilities, said the speaker, adding, so the various organizations can seize opportunities to take part at the livelihood development activities of the haor areas.

The Jatiya Sangsad Speaker made this call as the chief guest while participating at the inaugural session of the 2nd National Haor Conference at the auditorium of Bangladesh Agriculture Research Council (BARC) here this morning.

The second National Haor Conference Organizing Committee comprising with 31 different national, international and non- government advocacy organizations organized the conference.

Advocate Hamid told that while the government had formed the National Haor Development Board in 1974, but the board did not able to bring any success for the development of the haor region.

Finance Minster Abul Mal Abdul Muhith presided over the conference. The inaugural session of the conference, among others, also addressed by M Muzibul Haq,MP, chairman of All Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) of the Jatiya Sangsad, Matiur Rahman MP, Rebeka Momin MP, Hasan Shahriar, President of Commonwealth Journalist Association and AKM Musa, Country Director of Concern World Wide Bangladesh.

Hamid also urged the government for immediate implementation of the master plan of haor development as the interim caretaker government in 2008 had approved the master plan but none of the public organization yet to come forward to implement it.

Hamid also called the government to introduce 20 per cent haor allowance for the government officials who will work at the haor regions as the government is providing 30 per cent hill allowance to the officials who are working at the hilly regions.

Even, the conference also raised a demand to form a separate ministry for ensuring the welfare of the haor region people.Replying to the demand on materializing the haor development master plan, the finance minister told the conference the present government led by the Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina is fully desired to implement the haor development master plan.

Regarding the implementation of haor allowance, Muhith said there is no obligation to implement the haor allowance but it will require the development of infrastructure at the region first.

A total of twelve research papers on health scenario survey in haor, education realities in haor region, study findings of Khas land in haor, water resources of haor, right of rivers beyond border, action research findings on alternative cropping pattern, haor master plan and allocation in national budget, climate change threats and opportunities for adaptation in haor region, anatomy of water body leasing policy, sustainable wetland management policy, also discussed at the working session of the daylong conference.