The administration has released into the open sky more than a hundred white egrets that had been trapped in Ukhia, Cox's Bazar. On the same day, the administration and the forest department evicted more than a dozen illegal sawmills in a separate drive in Pekua. The drives were carried out at different times on Thursday 23 November.

Sources said a gang of bird poachers illegally set traps to catch egrets in the Machkaria beel in Rajapalong union of Ukhia upazila. Evading the forest department, they regularly set nets and traps to catch the birds and supplied them to the Rohingya camps, also using Rohingyas to help with the hunting. Acting on a tip-off, the forest department carried out a drive on Thursday morning led by Ukhia range officer Gazi Muhammad Shafiul Alam.

Ukhia Upazila Nirbahi Officer Imran Hossain Sajib said miscreants often poach birds illegally in the Machkaria beel, and their activity has increased in the winter season. The birds rescued by the forest department were released into the open sky from the Ukhia upazila parishad premises that afternoon. He said information would be gathered on those involved in the poaching and they would be brought to justice.

Separately, a drive was carried out to evict illegal sawmills in the Ratnapalong area. The forest department said a large quantity of forest timber was seized and the sawmills were evicted.

The drive was led by upazila assistant commissioner (land) Saleh Ahmad, with help from Ukhia police and the forest department.

Ukhia range officer Gazi Muhammad Shafiul Alam said a gang had been sawing timber from the forest. After their illegal sawmills were evicted, regular forest cases were filed.

In Pekua, meanwhile, the upazila administration and forest department ran a drive against illegal sawmills. On Thursday they raided 10 illegal sawmills at Alhaj Kabir Ahmad Chowdhury Bazar, seizing a large quantity of illegal timber and sawmill equipment. The sawmill machines were disabled, and the seized goods and timber were taken by the forest department.

The sawmill owners fled during the drive, which was led by Pekua upazila assistant commissioner (land) Rumpa Ghosh.

Barbakia range officer Habibul Haque said goods and timber were seized in the drive against 10 illegal sawmills in Pekua bazar. The owners had not taken licences despite repeated notices, although under the Sawmill Licence Rules 2012 a licence is mandatory to run a sawmill.

Pekua assistant commissioner (land) Rumpa Ghosh said not a single sawmill had a licence. The timber and goods were seized and the machines disabled, and such drives will continue.

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