Bangladesh's Forest Department says trees in a mangrove plantation in Galachipa upazila of Patuakhali are being uprooted and the land embanked to make a watermelon field. It accuses Shahin Howlader, 42, younger brother of Renu Akter, joint convener of the upazila BNP. Abdur Barik, beat officer of the Char Agasti plantation, filed a general diary with Galachipa police on Saturday, Prothom Alo reports.
According to the GD, the department planted 75 hectares of mangrove at South Char Biswas in Char Biswas union in 2015-16. Shahin Howlader and his associates have been removing trees for some time, and on Friday afternoon they cut 400 to 500 trees worth Tk 10 lakh, the complaint says.
Abdur Barik said the keora, shaila, gewa and baen trees pulled up were 10 to 11 years old. Excavators then began cutting soil to build embankments across about 200 acres. When forest staff tried to stop the work, he alleged, they were manhandled, threatened and driven off.
Shahin Howlader did not respond to eight calls over three days or to a text message. A video recorded by local people shows him claiming the land as his own in a heated exchange with forest staff. Renu Akter said she had been in Dhaka for several days and knew nothing about it.
Galachipa range officer Nayan Mistri said the plantation at South Char Biswas is being destroyed for a watermelon field; a GD has been filed and further legal action will be decided with senior officials.
Photo: Shahnoor Habib Munmun / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY 3.0)
Source: Prothom Alo
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