Several risky government-owned trees have long stood on both sides of the Amnura-Nachol road in Chapainawabganj. Even in a light wind, branches break off and fall on people's heads, and one person has been killed. Local people are demanding that the trees be removed quickly.

The district parishad recently moved to remove the trees on both sides of the road. But the Barind Multipurpose Development Authority (BMDA) has stood in the way, claiming the roadside trees belong to it. With the two government bodies exchanging letters, removal of the dead trees is now stuck, angering ordinary people in the Amnura area.

Local people said a housewife named Anwara was killed some time ago in the Amnura Shukandighi area when these dead trees fell. The demand to remove the risky roadside trees arose after that incident, and removal work began after a long time.

Sources concerned said the district parishad decided at a development coordination committee meeting on 13 November 2023 to auction the removable trees by tender. Following due process, 258 dead, risky roadside trees in the Amnura area of Sadar upazila were auctioned. The forest department set the value of the trees.

After a contract was signed with the highest bidder, a work order was issued to remove the trees and the contractor began work. It was then that the BMDA claimed the trees as its own, calling the auction into question. The government body later wrote to the district parishad to stop the felling.

District parishad documents on the auction show that the Roads and Highways Department (RHD) had asked the district parishad to fell the dead, risky roadside trees to build a drain. The district parishad auctioned them by tender, following all procedures under the rules. The BMDA was informed of this by letter from the start, and remained silent at the time.

Officials involved in the auction said the district parishad planted the roadside trees in 1989-90.

Monimul Haque Tufan, a resident of Amnura-Kendul, said the roadside trees are dangerous. Now, when there is a storm or rain, branches of the dead trees break and cause casualties. Some trees were felled but the work has now stopped. If the remaining trees are not removed quickly, lives could be lost again at any time.

Anwara Begum of the area was killed some time ago by a falling branch from these trees. Her daughter Asma Khatun said that three years ago a sudden gust of wind rose one afternoon while her mother Anwara had gone out to bring in the cattle, and a branch broke off a dead tree in the gust and killed her. "So we want these dead trees removed quickly," she said.

Md Afaz Uddin, chief executive officer of the Chapainawabganj district parishad, said the district parishad owns the trees along with the land. The trees were sold following proper rules, and there was no fault on the district parishad's part.

He said the BMDA is now claiming ownership of the trees and was asked to provide proper proof, but could not show any proof that it planted them. If it can still provide proof, the district parishad will give it its share under the agreement. But instead of coming to a settlement, the BMDA is only making complaints and spreading propaganda against the district parishad without reason, he said.

Asked about it, BMDA executive engineer Al Mamun Rashid said the roadside trees were planted around 1989-90, but the district parishad sold them without informing the BMDA. Asked whether the BMDA had any proof that it planted the trees, he said there was an agreement between the two offices, but that he could not give the agreement papers to the reporter.

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