Forest denuded for social forestation

This area of Lobonchhara reserve forest under Kulaura forest range in Moulvibazar district sees no large trees as the staff of the local forest department have cleared the area to create a social forest.Photo: STAR

The forest department has started work for its social forestation programme by removing trees at Lobonchhara reserve forest under Monchhara beat of Kulaura forest range in Moulvibazar district.
During a recent visit to Lobonchhara forest, this correspondent saw that a few labourers were cutting trees and bamboos to clean up the natural forest while 10 to 12 people were taking away bundles of just felled bamboos from the area. About 20 acres of this forestland has already been cleaned up.
This forest is rich in the groves of 'muli' and 'khang' species of bamboos.
When asked, the labourers said the forest officials have appointed them on daily wage basis to clean the jungle there. Poor people living at adjacent villages are taking away the felled trees and bamboos.
The jungle is being cleaned up as the forest department has taken a programme to create social forest on 25 acres of land in Lobonchhara forest, forest officials said, adding that 2500 saplings of timber producing trees will be planted per acre of land.
Mukhlesur Rahman, the range officer of forest department office at Kulaura, said, "Indigenous Khasia people living at Valaima Punjee near Lobonchhara have encroached lands of the forest during last few years. So the forest department has taken a social forestation programme to protect the forestland. After implementing the programme, poor people of all the communities including Khasia and Garo will be benefited as they will also be partner of this social forest."
Protush Ashakra, vice president of 'Kubraj'- a local organisation of the Garo and the Khasia people, has termed the allegation of land encroachment by Khasia people as 'totally false and baseless'.
"The indigenous people love trees like their children. The initiative taken by the forest department to create social forest by destroying the natural forest is not proper. Influential quarter of the society will be benefited from this social forest," he said.
"The forest department's policy is to create social forest on lands where there is no trees or plants. We will look into the allegation of such initiative on natural forest at Lobonchhara," Delwar Hussain, divisional forest officer of Sylhet, told the local journalists.