Grabbers in Cox's Bazar feast on govt land, forest

Trees being felled (top) in an encroached land and roots of trees in a land being prepared for shrimp cultivation in Cox's Bazar coastal area. PHOTO: STAR

Local ruling party leaders and influencials are grabbing stretches of forests close to the coast one after another in the five upazilas despite filing of cases by the forest department and court orders for recovery of encroached forests.

The forest department is virtually an onlooker in the face of land grabbing race, its officials said.

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They said about 12,000 out of 27,293 acres of forestland in the district have fallen in the hands of land grabbers in the last four years or so.

The lands have been grabbed in Gomatoli, Pokkhali, Chawfaldandi, Varuakhali, Tetaya, Khuruskhul and Zhilanga in the Sadar upazila; Baro Moheshkhali, Kalamarchhara, Hetalia Ghona, Jhapua, Panirchhara, Kutubzum, Gorok Ghata, Kali Gong, Hoanok, Hariar Chara, Thakur Tala, Fakira Ghona, North Nolbila, Dhal Ghata, Amabayshya Khali, Matar Bari, Shona Dia and Ghati Bhanga in Moheshkhali upazila, they said.

The forest officials said they filed 458 cases against 1843 encroachers in the last four years.

The courts at different times ordered recovery of 912 acres of forestland-- 320 acres in Dhalghata, 200 in Charandip, 10 in Matarbari, 350 in Siradia and 32 acres in Lemshikhali. But the matter virtually ended there.

"We are still filing cases but there has been little progress in either recovery of the lands or taking steps against the encroachers", Cox's Bazar Forest Range Officer Kush Kumar Baidya said talking to this correspondent on Sunday.

Encroachment is continuing as the grabbed lands are not recovered and the culprits go unpunished, he said.

"We got copies of verdicts for recovery of 912 acres of land but can not take any action because of lack of manpower and logistics. We are threatened by the grabbers, he alleged.

"The encroachment is going on and we are also filing cases", he said.

Kush Kumar said he filed a case with the court of Senior Assistant Judge in Cox's Bazar against 29 encroachers in November last year. A top official of the Ministry of Land has been named in some of the cases for "leasing" land, he said.

Talking to this correspondent, advocate Faridul Alam, legal advisor to the Chittagong Coastal Forest Department, also alleged that some high officials of the government help political leaders and influentials in leasing government lands.

The local administration does not go all out in taking steps against the encroachers as some high officials up to the rank of secretary are allegedly involved in a process of so-called lease of lands by the forest ministry and the land ministry, he said.

The 'powerful' encroachers, most of whom are ruling party leaders, collect papers showing lease of land and then clear the forests for setting up shrimp enclosures, he said.

In most cases, the encroachers occupy lands more than the area leased, he said. In some areas, mangrove forests which grew along with timber trees over the years, have also been destroyed, he said.

Sources in the forest department and locals said encroachers are now clearing forests on more lands in Moheshkhali, Chakaria, Pekua, Kutubdia, Ukhiya, Teknaf upazilas for shrimp cultivation.