Feasting on forestlands in greater Mymensingh

Mymensingh DCi, SP and DFO visiting a grabbed land in Habirbari (left) and the boundary wall raised by the grabber.. PHOTO: Star File Photo

They also engaged musclemen, mostly hired from the area, to take possession of lands allegedly by showing false documents.

The Forest Department played the role of a silent spectator on the plea of lack of manpower and logistics. It only filed civil suits while a section of its employees allegedly connived with the grabbers.

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According to sources at the Divisional Forest Office here, 36106.10 acres out of 710191.03 acres of forestland in Mymensingh, Netrokona, Sherpur and Jamalpur districts were grabbed in last 40 years. The grabbed lands included 29915.29 acres in Mymensingh.

Of the total forest lands, 38701. 26 acres were in Mymensingh, 1975.59 in Netrokona, 20049. 79 in Sherpur and 10364.39 acres in Jamalpur.

Land grabbing in Bhaluka increased after development of road link between Mymensingh and Dhaka via Bhaluka.

According to Forest Department sources, at least eight industries have been set up on 280.50 acres of grabbed forestland since 1990. These are located at Habirbari, Jamirdia, Mehrabari and Kathali in Habirbari forest bit under Bhaluka Range.

At least eleven more groups have hung their signboards to establish industries at Habirbari, Jamirdia, Mehrabari, Dhamsur in Habirbari forest bit under Bhaluka Range. These groups have already grabbed 280.56 acres of forestland since 1993, allegedly with false documents. But most of the grabbed lands are unutilised as the grabbers face cases, the sources said. Some of the encroachers are however trying to start construction work forcibly by using musclemen, the sources said.

Recently, a big trading house, allegedly grabbed 56 acres of forestland in Habirlari bit under Bhaluka Range by producing fake papers. The lands with timber trees are worth about Tk 300 crore, the sources said.

The Forest Department remained virtually inactive on the plea of lack of adequate manpower and logistics to resist the grabbing.

"What can we do? We are totally helpless. We can only go to court for legal action against the grabbers", Md Akbar Hossain, Divisional Forest Officer (DFO) told this correspondent when contacted. He said 170 civil suits have been filed against illegal occupiers so far.

A civil suit has also been filed against Orion Trading House as it has produced false documents on payment of Tk 45 lakh taxes, said another source.

Landgrabbing in large scale started in Bhaluka after big companies and industrialists started buying forestland from so called owners who actually grabbed lands earlier by forging documents. Forests in Bhakula are virtually on the verge of extinction now, said a forest official.

Officials said all these happened because unlike in other areas, most of the government forestlands in the area are yet to be declared Reserve Forest. Of the total 38,701 acres in Mymensingh, only about 15,000 acres were declared as Reserve Forest.

After the recent land grabbing by the trading house in Habirbari bit, high officials of district administration including Deputy Commissioner Shah Alam Bakshi Police Superintendent Abdullah-he Baki and DFO Md Akbar Hossain visited the spot and directed the local administration to take action against the grabbers.

Police have been deployed but the grabbers, with the help of local musclemen, are trying to construct boundary walls forcibly, said a source in the Forest Department.

The musclemen of influential grabbers are equipped with lethal weapons and stay at makeshift huts in the area. This has also created a panic among local people and a clash between the musclemen and locals may take place any time, they said.