Trees are friends, let them live

Concerned citizens in the capital's Sector 3 at Uttara yesterday formed a human chain as Dhaka North City Corporation has been felling trees on Road 8 and targeted to fell about 200 more in the area.

WWC, a cycling group in Uttara, formed the human chain to save the trees -- some of them aged over three decades.

Participants including children carried several placards during the protest. Some of those read “Save the trees, they will save you” and “Hobona Obujh Bachabo Sabuj. Gaachh Amader Bondhu, Eder Bachtey Din (We will not be ignorant, we will save the greenery. Trees are our friends, let them live).

North South University Alumni Association, School of Business and Economics, Bashundhara Cyclists and residents of Uttara also participated at the human chain.

Uttara resident Latif Hasan said, “Several trees, older than three decades, on Road 8 in Sector 3 were cut down in the dark of night on March 19” and the logs were taken away early in the morning.

“A syndicate of corrupt and greedy individuals have targeted to chop down 200 more trees to make a hefty amount of money,” he alleged.

Kazi Mushahidur Rahman, another resident of Uttara, said Uttara was once full of varieties of trees. But Sectors 4, 6 and 7 have already been turned into a concrete jungle due to indiscriminate tree felling in the name of development.

The DNCC last year backed down from their plan of cutting down around 100 trees on Road 4 in Sector 3 after the decision led to an outcry among the locals, said Mahfuz Kamal, another Uttara resident.

At the time of locals' protest against the DNCC's attempt to fell trees on Road 4, Dr Haroonur Rashid, president of Uttara Sector 3 Kalyan Samity, said protecting trees are more important than widening roads.