Construct Lawachhara forest by-pass immediately

To learn that a project proposal to construct an alternative road from Sreemangal to Bhanugach that would skirt Moulvibazar's Lawachhara reserve forest is still waiting to be placed at a pre-ECNEC meeting for approval is frustrating. The Environment, Forest and Climate Change Minister's justification that approval of the project has been delayed due to the pandemic doesn't hold much water. We believe that the ECNEC has been holding its consultations regularly and approving various projects as well during the pandemic. So why not this project?

Nobody needs to be reminded of the grave danger that Lawachhara is in at the moment, brought upon by the road and railway line that cuts through the heart of the forest. With time, the traffic on this route has increased. Apparently, the immediate danger is posed by the railway line on which 10-12 trains run every day. A 6.5-kilometre road connecting Sreemangal and Kamalganj and a five-kilometre portion of the Dhaka-Sylhet rail route go right through the forest.

Regrettably, the deaths of endangered species of wildlife under the wheels of trains and other vehicles are a frequent occurrence—reportedly, at least three of them are run over daily. Such mishaps betray the lack of strict enforcement of relevant rules. Why can't the errant drivers, who continue to speed despite multiple signboards of a "restricted speed" of 20km/hr on this stretch of road, be hauled up and punished? The wildlife casualties tend to occur when the animals try to cross over the tracks or across the roads. A simple solution is to fence off this portion to keep the animals off. At this rate, only Providence knows when the alternative road and railway construction might happen, and the least that can be done is to protect the animals from losing their lives on the roads and rail lines by fencing them off.

However, it is not only the fauna, but the flora that is also under threat. Imagine the huge amount of pollution caused by the 500 or so motor vehicles that frequent the Sreemangal and Kamalganj road through the forest, as well as the 10-12 trains that run through the forest on a daily basis. While the deaths of the animals are apparent, the damage to the plants and trees are not so visible. But the decay, nevertheless, is happening. We might just eventually lose the forest, and with it the wildlife therein, because of a lack of urgency on the part of the administration. An alternative route is of immediate necessity. And we would hope that the minister really means it when he says that he would now try to speed up the process.