Ruling party men found involved
Some local Awami League (AL) and Jubo League men are allegedly involved in cutting down the 30,000 Jhau (tamarisk) trees on about 250 acres of land in Teknaf beach of Cox's Bazar.
When this correspondent visited the area yesterday it was learnt that mainly AL party men have felled the trees to sell land in the form of plots for hotel, motel and business firms.
Sources concerned said, over 50 people led by Sabrang union unit AL president Zahed Hossain, his brother and Teknaf upazila unit Jubo League general secretary Noor Hossain cut down the trees from August 5 to August 11.
Upazila Chairman and upazila unit AL general secretary Shafique Miah has provided 'a strong back up' to felling of Jhau trees, the sources said.
Meanwhile, a seven-member team led by Deputy Commissioner (DC) Gias Uddin Ahmed from Cox's Bazar visited the barren land yesterday noon.
Local people told the deputy commissioner that the forest workers took Tk 100 against felling of one Jhau tree as bribe. Local AL leaders and two UP members are involved in the felling of trees, they said to the DC.
They said Teknaf municipal BNP general secretary Mohammad Abdullah had built a shrimp enclosure after destroying a Jhau garden on about 150 acres of land in Sabrang beach in 2003.
After AL-led grand alliance came to power, over 100 party men led by Zahed Hossain and Noor Hossain captured the shrimp enclosure and put up a signboard on the Jhau garden.
Shahparir Dwip beat officer Manosh Kumar Chakma of the forest department has filed a case against 40 persons, including Noor Hossain, in this connection.
Coastal forest department Cox's Bazar region assistant conservator of forest MA Hasan said, "We have seen Noor Hossain, Zahed Hossain and others to cut the Jhau trees. So we have made them accused in the case."
Refuting the allegation, Zahed said, "Influential people are making propaganda against us though we had tried to save trees in the past."
Upazila Chairman Shafique Miah denied the allegation and said, "From the beginning I was against cutting of the Jhau trees."
Asked about this, local AL lawmaker Abdur Rahman Bodi said, "We have got the news of involvement of some party leaders and workers in cutting Jhau trees. I will return to the area (Teknaf) from Dhaka today (Thursday) and enquire into the matter."
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