UBPO demands government to implement 3rd Bodo Peace Accord

United Bodo People’s Organization (UBPO) has once again expressed resentment over non-implementation of the recommendations of the 3rd Bodo Peace Acoord.
UBPO demands government to implement 3rd Bodo Peace Accord

A CORRESPONDENT

LAKHIMPUR: United Bodo People's Organization (UBPO) has once again expressed resentment over non-implementation of the recommendations of the 3rd Bodo Peace Acoord. Further, the organization has demanded the State Government to initiate steps to implement the same for the comprehensive development of the Bodo people living outside the Bodoland Territorial Region (BTR).

In this context, in a press release, UBPO president Manoranjan Basumatary and general secretary Pitambar Brahma said, "The 3rd Bodo Peace Accord was inked between the Union Government, State Government, UBPO, ABSU and four units of NDFB as the outcome of long-lasting agitation and demands. It is observed that the clauses of the Accord have not been implemented well though it has been two years since the date the Accord was inked. It is observed that some clauses of the Accord have been implemented rapidly in the BTAO, but most of such recommendations are still to be implemented for the security, political, socio-economic, social, academic, cultural development of the 10 lakh Bodo people living in 22 districts of the State outside BTAD."

Through the same press release, UBPO demanded the government to allot a heavy amount of financial package to the BKWAC (Bodo Kachari Welfare Autonomous Council. "The government has meanwhile set up the BKWAC for the Bodo people outside BTAD. For this we have conveyed our thanks to the government. But the government should initiate steps to allot a heavy amount of financial package to the council in order to build its infrastructure and to implement developmental schemes," the press release stated.

The UBPO president and general secretary resented that the development of the Bodo people living in Sonitpur and Biswanath districts was at halt due to non-initiative of any immediate steps by the Joint Advisory Committee, formed by Assam and BTC governments and BKWAC, with regard to identifying the Bodo villages outside BTAD to constitute the constituencies for the BKWAC as per Clause 5.2 of the 3rd Bodo Peace Accord. The organization demanded the government to take steps at the earliest in this regard.

"The government has set up directorates for Bodo medium and other tribal languages as per Clause 6.4 of the Accord. But these directorates still do not have any infrastructure. We have demanded the government to construct the infrastructures of the same, to appoint employees and to make them functional immediately," the press release added.

UBPO has thanked the government for its initiative to accord land right to the traditional, tribal forest dwellers of the State by implementing the Forest Act, 2006 as per Clause 5.3 of the Peace Accord. However, the organization demanded the government to pay heed to provide this benefit to the Riyang, Bru community people living in the Barak valley.

UBPO president and secretary further said, "The issue of granting tribal hill status to the Bodo people living in Dima Hasao and Karbi Anglong district has been pending for two decades. The issue is mentioned in the Clause 6.1 of the BTC Accord inked in 2003. As a result of it, those people have been deprived of various facilities for many years. We have demanded the government to resolve this issue soon."

Through the same press release, UBPO demanded the government to execute the decision of recognizing the Bodo language as the associate official language of the State as per Clause 6.2, to provincialize the Bodo medium schools outside BTAD and to appoint Bodo medium professors in the colleges as per Clause 6.3, to set up the research centres by investing the Central and State governments' fund in Assam and other places of the nation, where the Bodo people live to study their language and culture as per Clause 6.5, to safeguard the land rights of the tribal people outside BTAO, who live outside the tribal belts and block, by securing their land with special step as per Clause 7.1, to evict the encroachers from the government land, grazing land as per Clause 7.2, to grant the financial aid of Rs. 5 lakh to the martyrs of separate Bodoland movement as per Clause 8.4, and to provide employment to the Bodo youths outside BTAD as per Clause 9.3.

The UBPO president and the general secretary further asserted in the press release, "UBPO helped the 'Mitrajoot' by campaigning in the last assembly election to make its candidates winners in the constituencies outside BTAD, where Bodo community voters played a crucial role, as per conditional promises made by the central-level and State-level leaders of the BJP. Though the State Government promised to appoint Bodo community people outside BTAD as chairmen, vice-chairmen of various boards and corporations, the government has turned a deaf ear to the matter. We have demanded the government to fulfill those promises and to involve UBPO in every discussion regarding the above-mentioned issues of the Bodo community people living outside BTAD as a signatory organization of the 3rd Bodo Peace Accord. We further demand the government to implement the clauses of the same Accord for the political, social, economic, academic and cultural development of the Bodo people living outside BTAD."

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