• Hills are being cut to build roads for hauling felled trees
• Deer, wild boar, bears and other wildlife face a struggle to survive
• Half the trees of the natural forest have already been cut

In the remote Chaikkhyang area on the border of Alikadam and Thanchi in Bandarban, forest is being cleared across about 200 acres, threatening the environment and biodiversity. Deer, wild boar, bears, jungle fowl and other wildlife are struggling to survive, and the administration has been passive in stopping the felling.

Locals said that for several months a number of forest-grabbing rings, including Ismail alias Lal Ismail of the Alikadam Paan Bazar area and Longlein Mro, have been clearing at least 200 acres of forest around Pamia Mro Para, Tantui Para, Namchak Para, Kakoi Para, Adui Para and nearby areas in ward 9 of Chaikkhyang union. The trees being cut include garjan, champa, koroi, boilam, gutgutia, lali, chapalish and various other near-extinct species.

Hills are being cut to build roads to carry the timber, and several streams (jhiri) have been filled in. Bypassing law-enforcement checkposts along a detour called Kolar Jhiri, the timber is regularly smuggled to Alikadam and other parts of the country. The leftover wood is sold as fuel to illegal brickfields in Alikadam. Deer, boar, bears and jungle fowl, once seen all the time, are now disappearing.

On the ground, the natural flow of Pola Byang Jhiri has been blocked and the hill cut to make a road fit for trucks. Logs of various sizes are stacked on both sides of it. For two years, mother trees have been cut from the natural forest near the villages using 30 workers.

Locals said there were big trees in the forest even two years ago, and bears, deer, boar and many other animals roamed there. "Now there is neither forest nor animals," they said. Many trees have been half cut. Residents claim the destruction is going on in collusion with some dishonest forest department officials.

Shamsul Alam, a worker felling trees, said he had been doing the job for 19 days. Another group of workers from Chakaria has been cutting trees for several months at a daily wage of Tk 500. Their team leader, Md Ismail, said they work under Abuhan Md Ismail Saudagar. Timber is carried out by one truck twice a day.

Kamplat Mro, karbari (headman) of Adui Para, told Jagonews: "Seven or eight villages depend on the water of Byang Jhiri. Now we are desperate for water. We complained but got no remedy."

Men Rao Mro of Namchak Para said: "Even two years ago this was home to deer, bears, wild boar and many kinds of birds. Now there is no forest and no animals."

Men Chong Mro of Pamia Para said the same: "Byang Jhiri used to have plenty of water, fish and crabs. Now the water has dried up. We are in an acute crisis of safe water."

Another local, Lunglei Mro, said his father Chahla Mro had sold 50 acres of forest to Ismail Saudagar for five years for Tk 40,000. Ismail promised to "manage" journalists, the forest department and the administration, and, assuring them there would be no lawsuits, has been cutting trees from about 200 acres.

Abuhan Md Ismail denied the allegations. "I mainly run a shop and I am not in the timber business. But I have bought some firewood from that area. It is supplied to tobacco kilns," he said.

Asked about the matter, Mostafizur Rahman, divisional forest officer of the Lama forest division, said he had no information about it but would investigate and take the necessary legal action.

Source: Jagonews24. First published in Bengali on The Agro News.