Own Correspondent: The forest area of Ukuliya embankment under Chittagong sub-district forest division is going to be depopulated day by day. A group of organized wood thieves are openly cutting trees in the coastal forest in Mirsrai, day and night. This tree stealing festival is going on in the forest area near Uridchar in Sandhip, Parkirchar in Anwara, Bashkhali, Patenga, Kattali, Banshbaria in Sitakunda, and Saherkhali embankment in Mirsrai upazila.
The entire coastal forest area is resounding with the thud of miscreants cutting down trees. Questions have been raised about the responsibility of forest beat activists around such activities of woodpeckers. Although the excuse of manpower shortage in such circumstances is Mirsarai Coastal Forest Range Officer Abdul Gafur Mollar! He claims that Beja’s role is more than their role in this case.
The local residents of these areas complain that various species of salt sahinchu trees including Bain, Jhau, Keora are being openly cut down day and night. Can’t sleep at night due to the sound of vehicles carrying trees. Cutting down the trees has now turned into a playground inside the forest area.
According to secret sources, woodpeckers cut the trunks of large trees during the day and cut the trunks of those trees in the darkness of night. In the darkness of the night, the life of the locals has been disturbed by the sound of cars on the road. There is no one to see the screams of patients and children who cannot sleep.
In this regard, Mirsarai Coastal Forest Range Officer Abdul Ghafoor told Molla Di Krimak that there is a shortage of manpower in the sub-district forest department and Bepza does not have a responsible role due to forest acquisition.
He said, Bepza authority’s role is bigger than our role. We are trying but Bepja is not taking any action. I have resorted to Bepja many times. But I am not getting any help from them. Our manpower is less, they have police and Ansar under them. I said, if patrolling or something can be done jointly, then it is possible to stop all this.
It has been seen on the surface that the coastal forest created along the shores of the Bay of Bengal to protect against natural calamities is turning into a playground at the hands of miscreants. A huge road has been created by crushing the wheels of illegal wooden vehicles through several places in the forest. Again these roads have been given various names including ‘Babul Dur, Belayet Dur, Siraj Company Dur, GC Dur’. As soon as you enter the forest, you will see a large tree trunk. Again, the whole forest is overwhelmed by the sound of cutting trees in the afternoon from deep inside the forest.
When asked, Domkhali Coastal Forest Beat Officer Mohammad Rani told The Crime that raids were conducted at different times. A case was filed a few days ago. But our manpower cannot be stopped.
In this regard, Saherkhali Union Chairman Kamrul Haider Chowdhury told The Crime, “I have not heard anything about cutting trees.” But the coastal forest has been acquired by Bepza.
