Graft rules forest dept

As much as 61 percent of the funds for different forest department projects gets embezzled, according to a Transparency International Bangladesh report.

Besides, at least Tk 3 crore changed hands in 60 offices of the department for appointment, promotion, and transfer of officials, the report said.

TIB released "Forest Department: Governance Challenges and Way Forward" at a virtual press conference yesterday.

While disbursing project funds to the range office, divisional forest offices illegally kept 20 to 25 percent of the money. The embezzled money was divided among forest survey team members, conservators of forests and their assistants, auditors, grievance redress team members, and a section of local journalists, it said.

Officials at the forest range offices also took away 20 to 25 percent of the funds before giving it to the beat offices that further embezzled 20 to 30 percent of the remaining funds.

Officials at the range and beat offices later divided the money among themselves and a section of local journalists.

The survey was done between January 2019 and November 2020.

It collected data on hill forests, sal forests, mangrove forests, and mangroves afforestation initiatives in 10 districts.

TIB also collected data from the forest department's 60 offices, including its headquarters in Dhaka.  The researchers interviewed 130 key informants, held six group discussions, and analysed different documents, including survey reports and relevant laws.

The report said between Tk 1 crore and Tk 3 crore were spent by officials hoping to be the chief conservator of forests.

Likewise, Tk 20 to 25 lakh was exchanged illegally for the post of forest conservator, Tk 10 lakh to Tk 1 crore for divisional forest officer, Tk 1 to 1.5 crore for project director, and Tk 1 to 5 lakh for forest conservator.

The money went to policymakers in the ministry, high officials and a section of other employees, it said.

A FRACTION OF GRABBED FOREST RECLAIMED IN FIVE YEARS

The TIB report said in the last five years, the forest department could reclaim about 8,792 of about 2.87 lakh acres of grabbed forest lands.

The department did not make any effort to demolish illegal structures or reclaim lands if the defaulters belonged to influential quarters in Gazipur, Tangail, Mymensingh and Cox's Bazar, the report said.

TIB recommended determining government forest areas based on the Cadastral Survey (CS) record. Besides, the government should develop an authentic database of grabbed forest lands and take proper steps to reclaim those, it said.

The report said about 1.60 lakh acres of forest areas were given to different state forces and public and private organisations as of September this year.

Of those, 58.62 percent was given to different state forces and law enforcement agencies, 26.89 percent to the Bank and Financial Institutions Division, and 14.49 percent to other public and private organisations.

Although forest conservation is the key responsibility of the forest department, there have been specific instances of its failure in doing so, said the report.

It didn't object to setting up of the coal-based power plant in Rampal near the Sundarbans although the environment department raised concerns, it added.

The department declared different reserve forests as wildlife sanctuaries and national parks without following relevant laws or taking opinion of people who depend on the forests for livelihood.

TIB Executive Director Iftekharuzzaman said the picture of the forest department was frustrating.

On occasions, it avoided responsibility by not taking any step while in some cases there were instances of collusion, he added.

Corruption has been "institutionalised" here as "the protector turned into the predator", he said.