Rangamati Representative: Rangamati-Khagrachari District Forest Department, Rangamati Region. In the last few decades, the green cover of the mountains has been continuously decreasing due to indiscriminate tree cutting and deforestation. Due to the encroachment of land robbers, the protected forest area of the Chittagong Hill Tracts is also shrinking. Although the encroachment of reserved forests is increasing, there is no clearance. The evergreen Kachalong reserve forest of Chittagong Hill Tracts is also losing green. According to the Forest Department, 15,500 reserved forests in Rangamati-Khagrachari are currently vacant.
According to the information of the Office of the Conservator of Forests in the in the Rangamati region, there are a total of 6 lakh, 88 thousand, 986.95 acres of protected forest land under six forest divisions in the Rangamati region (Rangamati and Khagrachari). Out of this, 3 lakh 93 thousand 840 acres of Chittagong Hill Tracts Northern Forest Division, 2 lakh 3 thousand 888 acres of Southern Forest Division, 13 thousand 445 acres of unclassified forest afforestation division, 24 thousand 578 acres of Jhum control forest division, and 47 thousand 34 acres of Kaptai pulpwood plantation division. Khagrachari Forest Division has 62,000 acres of reserved forest land. 15 thousand 692 of the total protected forest land is occupied by the locals, including land robbers. Chittagong Hill Tracts, Northern Forest Division, has the highest number of deforested areas. The department has 7,592 acres of forest land. Besides, 6 thousand 304 acres of Chittagong Hill Tracts South Forest Division, 1 thousand 741 acres of Jhum Control Forest Division, and about 54 acres of Khagrachari Forest Division are in possession. The office of the Conservator of Forests in Rangamati says that the Unclassified Forestry Department and the Kaptai Pulpwood Garden Department do not occupy any reserved land.
Chittagong Hill Tracts, Northern Forest Division, has more than half of the forest area out of the six divisions under the Rangamati region. Of the total 6 lakh 88 thousand 986 acres of reserved forest land, 3 lakh 93 thousand 840 acres belong to the North Forest Division. The remaining 2 lakh, 92 thousand, and 146 acres are in five divisions. Kachalong reserve forest covering Rangamati-Khagrachari district includes Naraichari in Dighinala of Khagrachari, Kachalong, and Pablakhali wildlife sanctuary in Sajek of Baghaichari upazila. The most deprived areas of North Forest Division are in the Sajek Union of Longadu Upazila and Baghaichhari Upazila.
According to related sources, on January 16 of this year, the forest department cleared the illegal structure built on two acres of reserved forest land in the Gulshakhali Mouza area of Longadu Upazila in Rangamati. Two local influential people named Masud and Siddiqur Rahman of the Gulshakhali Mouza area of the Rangipara bit of the Pablakhali Range of Chittagong Hill Tracts, North Forest Division, demolished two acres of forest land for encroachment. On May 7, an acre of forest land was recovered during an evacuation operation in the Akashmani tree garden in Churakhali Mauza of the same range. On May 9, the forest department evicted illegal structures from 10 acres of protected forest land in Rangipara Mauza of the same range. There, a local, influential person named Dulal Hossain took over the forest department’s agar garden and built a farm 7-8 years ago. According to the North Forest Department, 13 acres of reserved forest land that were occupied only from the beginning of this year until May 9 were recovered. Although the amount of land occupied by the department is more than 7500 acres,.
Sajeev Majumdar, Pablakhali Range Officer of Forester Chittagong Hill Tracts North Forest Division, who led the eviction operation, said, “We are trying to rescue the reserved forest lands under the Chittagong Hill Tracts North Forest Division. We rescued 13 acres of occupied forest land within the Pablakhali range this year by carrying out an eviction operation. Our eviction campaign will continue.
Divisional Forest Officer (DFO) and Sub-Conservator of Forests of Chittagong Hill Tracts, Northern Forest Division, regarding the evacuation operation. Rezaul Karim Chowdhury said that the reserved forest land of the Northern Forest Division is also high, and the amount of forced encroachment is also high. Longadu and Baghaichhari upazilas of Rangamati under Kachalong Reserve Forest have the most forest cover. Machalong in Sajek, Naraichari in Dighinala, and Pablakhali Forest in Baghaichari are all part of Kachalong Reserve Forest. More than 7500 acres of forest land in the North Forest Division are vacant. In particular, it has been observed that those who are locally influential are involved in the encroachment of reserved forests. Some are encroaching on forests and cultivating tobacco; others are building orchards with farm houses. Even though the eviction process was stopped earlier, we have started the eviction campaign in the reserved forest lands this year. Even though significant land has not been recovered yet, this operation will continue.
Forest Department Rangamati Region Forest Conservator, Md. No statement from Mizanur Rahman is known.
