PCJSS

Introduction
The economy of the CHT is based on agriculture but the method of the agriculture or the practice of agriculture is totally different from the other plain areas of Bangladesh. The unique method of agriculture of the CHT is known as Jum or Swidden Cultivation (slash and burn). It is a common method to all of the indigenous Jumma people. The Jum cultivation method was suitable for its land pattern and the population and it is become very much informant especially to its people.
It was not only a mode of cultivation but constituted the core of the cultural values of the indigenous people and over a period of time it become their way of life. Note that only 2 percent of the total land is suitable for rice/ plough cultivation and 21 percent suitable for horticulture and tree crops and rest is suitable for forest only. The unique hilly land pattern and the sufficient number of population was auspicious for the Jum base subsistence economy.
However, the conspiratory and colonial mentality of the Pakistan and Bangladesh rulers did not give the natural growth of the CHT economy. The Kaptai Dam in 1960s and continuous process of giving illegal settlements in the CHT made a catastrophic effect on the indigenous economy. On the one hand, Kaptai Dam submerged 40 percent of the cultivable lands on the other the artificial increment of the population has been severely effecting the Jum base economy.
Presently, the people of CHT are surviving with a number of professions. Still many numbers of people are wholly surviving with the Jum cultivation and some are shifted to grove cultivation and plain area cultivation. Paddy, cotton, oil seeds, banana, pineapple, ginger, turmeric etc varieties of agro-products produced in the region. The plenty of forest resources e.g. the woods, bamboos etc is also found in CHT. On the other hand, the market is slowly expanding its area in CHT. There are a number of industries e.g. Karnaphuli Paper Mill, Rayon Mill etc are also giving big a portion to the CHT economy. Note that this part of the economy is totally in the hand of the non-resident of the CHT the people of CHT do not get any benefit out of it.
Development Interventions
In a nut shall, the development history of CHT can be summarized as over-ambitious (generating revenues) in the British Period, generalized (looking down upon the local views) in the Pakistan Period and conspiratory (weapon for pacifying the self-determination movement) in the Bangladesh Period. It has always been looked down upon the objectives of the social change of strengthening the Indigenous Jumma People rather it has generated group tension and increased consciousness of group antagonism and cultural differences.
Traditionally the economy of CHT is based on a subsistence economy. The indigenous people only produce to satisfy their own need. It is predominantly based on agriculture specially swidden/shifting cultivation locally known as Jum. Basically, Jum cultivation is done in the hilly areas. In realizing the need of the proper usage of the plain land in the beginning of the 19th century, the initiative of the chiefs to introduce the plough cultivation in the plain areas of CHT. As per it can be traced that this initiative was the first local people initiated developmental intervention in CHT. In this intervention, Chiefs invited some of the Bengali families from Rangunia in Chittagong district to help to introduce plough cultivation in the plain lands of CHT. In spite of this intervention, no developmental plans have made up with the local people rather imposed to and mostly conspiratory. It resulted destruction of natural resources, delocation of the indigenous Jumma people and the projects are not sustained.
British Period: Over-Ambitious Development Plans
In the British Period, the development plans was aimed at to generate more revenue from the local people. During the British Period in 1868-71, British had made concerted efforts to the indigenous people to take up plough cultivation. However, the effort was quite regulatory than participatory. The objectives of British to introduce the plough cultivation were very different from the objectives of the than Chiefs. The objective of the British's intervention was to increase the revenue collection and consolidation of the British political position in the region whereas Chiefs intention was to proper use of plain lands of CHT.
Pakistan Period: Generalization and over-ambitious Development Plans
After that the Pakistan Period, the era of industrialization, come up many industries and taken up many industrial development related projects aimed to increase the Gross Domestic Products (GDP) of the country in neglecting the local economy, the real need and suffering of the people. The construction of Kaptai dam was started in the first half of the 20th Century and completed in January 1962. The one of the main objective of the dam was to delocate the indigenous Jumma people and check the recurring floods downstream of the river rather than power generation. Resulted, the project has a severe adverse effect on socio-economic condition of people of CHT and natural environment of the whole areas. It has submerged 125 mauzas, 18,000 families; approximately one hundred thousand of people displaced and migrated without any compensation and rehabilitation and submerged 54,000 acres of most productive land of the CHT. The Pakistan Government has also launched several industrial projects e.g. Karnaphuli Paper Mill Ltd., Karnaphuli Rayon and Chemicals Ltd., Eastern Pakistan Timber and Plywood Products Ltd., Silichery etc. However, the indigenous people of CHT have got very little benefit from these projects. Noted that- "..at one stage of its normal orientation the Karnaphuli Paper Mill employed only 14 hillmen out of the labour force of 3290 persons" (Bangladesh District Gazetteers: CHT, 1971 P.139 Line. 41-42)
Bangladesh Period: Conspiratory Development Plans
After great upheaval in the period of Pakistan, in the Bangladesh period, the development is used as a weapon of the government to suppress the movement of the CHT people for the rights of the self-determination. The problem of the indigenous people of CHT had been understood by the government as economic problem rather than political. In order to resolve the problem economically, General Ziaur Rahman established CHT Development Board in 1976. However, it totally failed. On the contrary, the CHT Development Board was used as one of the counter-insurgency platforms. Several roads were constructed for military movement. On the other, road development project benefited the Bengali settlers in two ways. Firstly, as they monopolized marketing, the benefits automatically accrued to them. Secondly, the improved road communication made it easier for the Bengali settlers to migrate into the CHT. The development initiatives undertook by the CHT Development Board produced counter-effect to the real economic well-being of the Jumma people. In 1982 the GOC of 24th Infantry Division of Bangladesh army who was empowered to launch operation in CHT was made Chairman of the CHT Development Board. He utilised the fund provided by various international donor organisations like Asian Development Bank, World Bank etc. for implementation of development projects in CHT successfully for military purposes and settlement of Bengali Muslim population in CHT from plain districts.
The Joutha Khamar Project was a great example of the strategy to suppress the indigenous people's movement and delineation of the people from their traditional economy, culture and even their rights of self-determination. It was a concentration camp of the indigenous people where people are strictly under the account of the armies so that people could not come into contact with the PCJSS members.
Development and CHT Accord:
It is a well established fact that the permanent residents, particularly the Jumma people have been deprived and neglected by all successive governments for a long time. The CHT people have never been consulted and involved in the low-scale development that has taken place so far in the past and a top down approach has been imposed as a result of hostile national policy, wrong development approach, political conflict and instability for more than two decades in the region.
Following the signing of the CHT Accord in December 1997, between the government of Bangladesh (GoB) and PCJSS, a favourable atmosphere has been created for initiating sustainable development interventions in the CHT. Therefore, the PCJSS and concerned others have been urging upon the donor community and funding institutions to take development initiatives ensuring acceptability to the local people of CHT through involving them in development activities. It has been observed that many donor appraisal missions consulted and involved the Jumma and CHT people actively.
It is needless to say that the proper implementation of the CHT Accord is the only pre-condition for any sustainable development work in CHT and there is no alternative of local councils and special administrative system for ensuring good governance. Proper implementation of CHT Accord such as executing of CHT Regional Council (CHTRC) and three Hill District Council (HDC) Acts, withdrawal of military forces from their temporary camps to three cantonments and three district headquarters camps, disposal of land disputes through the Land Commission, rehabilitation of returnee Jumma refugees, internally displaced Jumma people, ex-combatants of the PCJSS and etc. are the most urgent issues to be resolved immediately.
Reconstruction and Development:
Programmes for reconstruction and development may be taken on the following sectors:

The people of CHT, particularly Jumma people mainly live on agriculture. Irrigation, supply of seeds, tools and machines, development of land etc. will be necessary for agricultural development. Vegetables and cash crops like ginger, turmeric, arums etc. production may be encouraged.

Indigenous Jumma people and the permanent Bengali residents are interested in horticulture. Barious type of fruit gardens, namely, pineapple, jackfruit, guava, lichi, plaintain etc. fruit gardens may be created.

Both primary and secondary educational institutions should be provided proper staff, instruments and equipments etc. Facilities for education in mother tongues should also be provided to indigenous Jumma people. Vocational education should be encouraged and improved. In order improve standard pf education rapidly for competing at the national level of Bangladesh as well as to fulfill the requirement of standard educated persons in the region there in the necessary of a few standard schools in CHT. Education policy need to be correspondingly amended to accord for special needs and situations of Jumma people. Education for the microscopic ethnic groups should be given special attention.

Health and sanitation facilities are very poor particularly for the indigenous Jumma people who live in remote areas. Health centres should be made there also mainly to prevent death of children and mothers.

Fisheries, poultry and dairy farming, pig rearing, livestock etc. may be encouraged.

During the conflict periods, natural forests particularly the reserved forests were destroyed even by government authorities. After signing of the CHT Accord and return to normal life of PCJSS members, extraction of logging illegally increased excessively. So programme for preservation of the reserved forest as well as plantation there may improve ecological balance in CHT. On the other, forestry programme in un-classed state forest areas and on individual lands may increase the land disputes in CHT.

Link roads at village areas may be constructed to facilitate easier communication. But construction of highway at this moment may increase extraction of logging illegally and destruction of fores produces and natural environment.

In order to ensuring proper reconstruction and development in CHT there should be active participation of indigenous people as well as permanent residents of CHT. Transfer of power to the CHT Regional Council and the 3 Hill District Councils by the government properly may take time and in that case participation of informal and actual leadership of indigenous Jumma people may be considered. Awareness building among the people in CHT and other parts of Bangladesh about the CHT Accord is necessary. But it is more necessary to convince the government and the powerful national political parties to implement the CHT Accord as well as to solve the CHT problem properly through solution of basic and main problems.
Conclusion:
In the conclusion the following points may be placed for consideration:

PCJSS has played its roles to end the conflict and to restore sustainable peace and stability in CHT. Now it is the government of Bangladesh who should play its roles properly through timely implementation of the CHT Accord. For this purpose the international community particularly the donor countries and organizations may play vital role in this respect.
In order to resolve the CHT problem properly the basic issues, such as, transfer of Bengali Muslim from CHT to plain districts, rehabilitation of indigenous Jumma people on their lands and homesteads, execution of CHTRC and HDC Acts and appointment of indigenous Jumma people in the posts and services in CHT as mush as possible mainly to have share in the local administration etc. should be solved.
Programmes may be formulated to resolve the rehabilitation problem first and side by side short-term and medium term programmes for reconstruction and development in CHT may be worked out. Long-term programmes may be taken very carefully so that interest of actual beneficiries is not hampered.