Land grabbers cut 14000 trees overnight
Thousands of gazari trees in Hobirbari Reserved Forest area in Bhaluka upazila of the district were cut down by miscreants about two weeks ago.
They felled about 14 thousand 10/12-year-old trees on August 21 to clear the land for grabbing, alleged locals.
Locals alleged that influential people of the area are behind the cutting down of trees to clear the land for sale to industrialists, causing depletion of the forest.
Cutting down of trees with the connivance of a section of forest officials has been rampant in the Bhaluka forest area for years, but the authorities concerned are yet to stop the menace, they added.
Md Sharifur Rahman Khan, beat officer of Hobirbari, said he filed a case with a Mymensingh court against 30 people on August 22. He would be able confirm the number of trees cut down after investigation, the official added.
Sharifur denied any nexus between forest employees and officials with the gang that cut the trees.
Gobinda Roy, divisional forest officer, said he was informed about the incident, and has formed a one-member inquiry committee with Abdur Rahman, assistant conservator of forest in Bhaluka Range, to investigate the incident.
Primarily it was found that the trees were on personal land, the official said. There are around 13,000 acres of reserve forest land under Bhaluka Range, including around 8,000 acres in Hobirbari beat, he added.
“We have to oversee the total area but we have only 12 forest guards, which is not enough for patrolling the area,” the official added.
Talking to this correspondent, Nurul Islam, a veteran journalist of Bhaluka, said proper preservation of forest is a must for better ecological balance in Bhaluka and its adjoining areas, but, unfortunately the forest areas are decreasing day-by-day.
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