DHAKA,   – Planning Minister MA Mannan today said the present government has been implementing various projects for ensuring development of the char areas and thus improving livelihood of the people living there.

The Planning Minister said this when a delegation of National Char Alliance met him at his office today.

Water Aid Country Director Mohammad Khairul Islam, National Char Alliance member secretary Zahid Rahman, Care Bangladesh Coordinator Asif Imran Khan, Concern World Wide Char Programme Chief Syed Mahmud Riyad, Christian Aid Country Director Sakib Nabi and Oxfam Bangladesh Advocacy Coordinator Saiful Alam were present.

Mannan suggested that the project directors on Char related projects should have to implement their schemes staying at the project sites. “The people of char areas are relatively poor. So, the officials concerned will have to be more human while implementing their projects. Safe water, sanitation and power supply will have to be ensured in the Char areas,” he said.

He cited that the vehicles meant for the projects on Char areas should have to ply on the project sites in the Char areas not in the capital.

The Planning Minister also noted that complexities often arises over the ownership of land in the Char areas after those emerged in the rivers.

He also suggested for implementing smaller projects in the Char areas through Palli Karma Sahayak Foundation (PKSF).

The National Char Alliance leaders demanded of the government to form a Char Foundation or Board at national level to ensure sustainable development of the Char areas people.

They suggested that this Foundation or Board could work as an authority for tackling any disaster or emergency response to any calamity.

The Char areas occupy around 10 percent of the country’s overall land areas where some one crore people live there. Besides, these huge char areas cover around 100 upazilas in 32 districts.