Tree felling racketeering - Public interest and environment in jeopardy
This is sensational news that whereas tree plantation and social
forestry are being encouraged by the government, some vested quarters
are doing a brisk business of unauthorised felling of trees. It is
revealed in a prominent Bangla daily report from its Gazipur
correspondent that 60 trees had been sawn off at Pubail under a
fictitious tender. It is understood that the trees were extremely
valuable property of the state, the list including rain tree, korai,
eucalyptus, mehgony and akashmony. Besides, 20-25 trees have been
half-felled.
This constitutes a blatant violation of law and
expropriation of public property through fraudulent means. The crime was
committed by alluding to Roads & Highway Department's imaginary
plan for widening roads on both sides. A local AL worker is said to have
directed a weeklong tree felling activity drawing a reference to what
transpires to be a fake work order. After having felled the trees, the
timber was auctioned under the nose of local administration, and the
booty was taken away allegedly by an AL man. In fact, there is suspected
to be a racket involving some other people who make a bonanza of
luxuriant trees.
This maybe just the tip of an iceberg. For, this
has been going on for long and yet the local forest and other
authorities seemed to have looked the other way. In fact, it is alleged
that a local racket tried to sell some 265 trees valued at a few crore
taka for a paltry sum of Tk 3,85,000. This is serious dereliction of
duty on the part of the authority that had planted and grown the trees
in the first place. Investigation and auditing should be conducted on
the loss of trees. Then legal proceedings need to be drawn against the
responsible persons and private parties.
The matter needs to be
addressed seriously because what is at stake here is not merely public
property but also ecology and environment in the areas concerned.
Source: The Daily Star.
