People living along the Dhaka-Chattogram highway are cutting the flowering trees planted on the road median, jarul, sonalu, radhachura and oleander among them, to grow vegetables. Travelling the 32 km of the Mirsarai stretch from Bara Darogarhat to the Dhumghat bridge on 27 September, Prothom Alo found brinjal, okra, bitter gourd, beans, sponge gourd, ridge gourd, red amaranth, Malabar spinach, radish greens and taro growing at 113 spots on the divider, with banana, drumstick, mango and jackfruit saplings planted in places.
The Chattogram district roads department says more than 50,000 flowering trees, including kanchan, oleander, radhachura, jarul, sonalu, krishnachura, kadam and palash, were planted along much of the highway's 265 km in 2016 for greenery, beauty and shade. Hundreds have been cut to make vegetable beds. Cultivation is heaviest around the BSRM gate, Sonapahar, Thakur Dighi, Mithachhara bazar and Purba Kismat Jafrabad.
Local people say some grow a little for their families, while others have taken over large stretches to farm commercially. Md Abu Taher, who cut oleander branches to grow radish greens at Purba Kismat Jafrabad, said he was doing no harm and was keeping the spot clean; he sells each bunch of radish greens for Tk 30.
Ritu Parvi, chief coordinator of the Subah social development organisation, said the trees had been cut or burned for two years and the roads department had taken no effective action despite repeated complaints. She wants the lost trees replaced with the same species, and says the climbing vegetable bushes block drivers' view and raise the risk of accidents.
Md Maidul Islam, executive engineer of the Chattogram district roads department, told Prothom Alo he had learned that people had damaged the trees to grow vegetables in some places, that action would be taken soon, and that local people also needed to be aware.
Growing food on idle public land can add to a family's income, but the report makes clear that cutting trees planted for the highway's shade, beauty and safety to do so is not lawful. The report is by Mirsarai correspondent Iqbal Hossain.
Photo: Balaram Mahalder / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 3.0)
Source: Prothom Alo
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