A foray into reserve forest
The reserve forest in Mymensingh's Bhaluka upazila is now almost half its original size, thanks to the deforestation and encroachments for over three decades.
Bhaluka, once known for its vast tract of natural forest and wildlife, has now shrunk significantly as people have been living illegally in these reserved government lands.
Rampant deforestation has also altered the region's geography.
The reserves cover 71,088 acres of land, 30,524 of which have been illegally taken in the last three decades, according to sources at the divisional forest office.
"The department has already increased vigilance in the area. Cases have also been filed against the plunderers," said ANM Abdul Wadud, Mymensingh divisional forest officer.
More than 20 reports were filed against influential persons in March this year for cutting down and setting fire to forest trees in the reserved areas in Bhaluka and Uthora Ranges, he added.
In 2010, the government declared 80.5 acres of land in Kadirgrah and Palgaon areas as national park to protect its trees and wildlife. However, the reserves are not safe anymore due to encroachments, said another officer of the department, requesting anonymity.
The local influential people have been colluding with corrupt officials in various ways to carry out these illegal works. Opting for a slash-and-burn farming technique, they first chop down the trees and later burn them. With no trace left of the land once being a part of the forest, the lands are first claimed as personal property through false documentation and later sold to elite in high price, claimed locals.
There are over 50 sawmills around the forest reserves in Kadirgrah, Kachina, Batajoor, Palgaon, Tamat and Dhakuria villages where stolen trees are processed, said a local preferring anonymity.
"We have recently evicted five such mills and all the forest land will be recovered soon," said Harun-ur-Rashid, range officer of Bhaluka. He also denied the corruption charges against the division's forest department officials.
Advocate Shibbir Ahmed Liton, secretary of Poribesh Rakhha O Unnyan Andolon in Mymensingh, however, blamed the negligence of the forest officials behind this mishap.
"They are not just destroying the forest trees and grabbing the reserve lands illegally, they are also burning them, which is causing harm to the area's ecology while compelling animals to leave the sanctuary by taking away their natural habitat and food," he said.
"Wildlife has already disappeared from the forest due to lack of sufficient food and safe habitats," said Awlad Rubel, a local journalist.
Prof Md Azharul Islam of Environmental Science department at Bangladesh Agricultural University, said, "Continued deforestation will lead to an increase in pollution -- making these areas more prone to earthquakes, while endangering the area's natural biodiversity."
"The forest tracts in Tangail, Mymensingh and Gazipur used to be a sanctuary for animals and plants. With similar issues seen in the other two regions, the authority should have addressed these issues sooner."
"We have already instructed the local administration to take quick steps to protect the reserves," said Mustafizar Rahman, deputy commissioner of Mymensingh.
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