Human chainto stop tree felling in Sitakunda

A human chain was formed in front of Chittagong Press Club yesterday afternoon demanding an end to tree plundering at Sitakunda coastal belt.
Non-government organisation Young Power in Social Action (YPSA) organised the human chain in cooperation with development organisations Bela, Nawjowan, Bapa, Sangshaptak, UTSA and Ship Breaking Trade Union Forum in front of Chittagong Press Club in the afternoon.
Speakers in a brief rally after the human chain said that the coastal green belts are now on the verge of destruction since ship breaking industry started developing yards by wiping out coastal forests long ago.
They expressed strong resentment and protest against falling of around 18,000 trees in the coastal areas in a most unethical way in the last few days.
They demanded shifting of the existing ship breaking yards from the coastal area and emphasised afforestation in the denuded coastal areas.
YPSA programme coordinator Mohammad Ali Shahin, Ship Breaking Trade Union forum president Tapan Dutta, Jana Udyog coordinator Sharif Chauhan, social worker Shahidul Islam and cultural personality Akbar Reza among others spoke at the rally.