Influential quarter 'grabs' forestland for salt beds

30 November 2009, 17:00 PM

A Correspondent, Cox's Bazar

A local influential quarter has allegedly grabbed about five acres of forest department land to prepare salt beds at Lemshikhali under Baro Ghop union of Kutubdia upazila in Cox's Bazar. About 9,000 young trees, planted on the land by the coastal forest department, have also been uprooted. "Taking advantage of indifference by the administration other influential people are conspiring to uproot young plants on about 70 acres of mangrove forest at Lemshikhali for preparing salt fields. It will cause environmental disaster," said M Hasan, assistant conservator of forest (ACF) of Cox's Bazar region under Coastal Forest Department. At around 9:00am on November 17, about 30 miscreants led by Abul Kalam Bahaddar, an influential person of Bar Ghop union in the upazila, occupied about five acres of land where about 8,888 young plants (kewra and bain) were planted to protect the sea coast, said forest department officials and witnesses. Informed that the young plants were being uprooted, a team of forest staff led by local Beat Officer Abu Taher rushed to the spot and tried to prevent the criminals. Holding sharp weapons, the criminals chased the forest men and forced them to leave the spot by giving death threat. Abul Kalam Bahaddar's son Belal Uddin and his brother Monir Alam led the miscreants, said Beat Officer Abu Taher. On November 17 night Abu Taher went to the local police station to file a complaint against about 20 people including Abul Kalam Bahaddar, Belal Uddin and Monir Alam but police refused to record it as a case. Denying the allegation, Abul Kalam Bahaddar said he took lease of 4.70 acre abandoned land at Lemshikhali from the land ministry in 2006 and now he is preparing the land for salt bed. When contacted, Kutubdia Police Station Officer-in-Charge Yousuf Siddiqui said police will take action after a full-fledged investigation as primary inquiry shows that Abul Kalm Bahaddar leased the land from the land ministry for 10 years in 2006.